Tue summer rains in North-Chi have been specially abundant and have brought on calamitous floods at very many points. The homes of the people over an iunmeuse region lave been destroyed. The breaches in the Peiho, the Yellow River, the Grand Canal, and other rivers in Chibli and Shantung are so numerous that the officers in charge must be in des; The whole country is a vast alluvial Hat intersected by rivers and spotted by lake hollows of all dimensions. If the observer take his stand at Tientsin and look north-west towards the capital there are several breaches in the Peiho all the Pukou, fifteen miles distant. of the flooded plain on the rig be seen at one point falling asa lo into the river with a drop of two feet. Then crossing the river it rushes into the fields beyond through the left bank. All around crops are overwhelmed, houses overthrown, and the population scattered. Ihe rivers meeting at Tientsin from the north-west and south have caused this. Human Jabour has elevated the city out of the reach of floods, and the embankments and raised roads afford a refuge to fagitives. Otherwise all that is seen is one vast sea. It was so a generation ago in a former year of heavy rain in and it will be so after a veneration again.
But it jot an evil which science mitigate, and great is the responsibility; of the high officers who, having the administrative control of the inundated regions, refuse to change old traditions and to invite help from those who know. On the south of the city for thirty miles no dry land is seen. In other directions the same is true for a hundred miles. In many parts the water on the plain finds no outlet and will remain to be slowly evaporated. Only after about three years, it is supposed, will all this country be dry land again. If we remove our point of observation beyond Paotingfu, 150 miles west of Tientsin, there is alarge inundated tract towards Hwailu where the mountains are crossed into Shansi. Proceeding to the south-west the Grand Canal coming from the south is identical with the old Wei river for about 150 miles, entering that river at Linching. The Wei, above its confluence with the Grand Canal, flows from the mountains at the south end of Shansi for another 150 miles, and it is the rainfall of northern Honan and of the mountains of southern Shansi that has just now swelled this river and the Grand Canal. There is a closed lock at the confluence at Linching which is opened occasionally to allow the grain junks tu pass on their way to Tientsin from the south. This year the water of the Wei was high enough at one time to How over the lock into the Shantung or southern portion of the Canal. Not far below this point at Wuchéng the bank has been forced in several places and the country inundated. In consequence the crops are ruined and the people must sta Io all there are said to be twenty-two breaks in the embankment of the aul between Linching and lieut sin, There has been, it is said, no such inundation in this part of Shan tung since 18: The Wei River has risen eiylt feet and this is the chief cause of the flood which has now swept away whole villages by a sudden rush, not. allowing a large part of the inhabitants time to escape. An imumeuse tuber are believed to hive been drowned.
The ery of distress is now heard not only from Tientsin and the ports bordering on the can The Yellow River in Shantung nearer the sea on the 7th and Sth of July burst its banks a little to the north-west of Chinan, the provincial capital, ina violent storm of wind and rain.
It is stated that the strength of the blast raised the waters so high that they overcome all obstacles' and caused the removal of 300 feet of embaukwment on the north side of the i The sea is distant about 120 wiles from this point. An immense body of water was thus thrown on the plait belonging to Wutingfu, the most northern prefecture of Shantung near the sea, Many districts which during the last few years have not been reached by the floods are now covered with water in this part, and the crops on them hopelessly destroyed. In this case the evil was want. of strength in the ewbaukment, which needs tu be made proof against the July freshet joined with heavy rain such as characterised this year, armed with the force of a violent storm. At the end of last year the river showed its power b forcing a new way for itself by a fresh route to the sea near its mouth. At that time it made a detour to the north, deserting the channel assigned it by the officials in charge, at a point about 20 miles from the sea. his new channel was accepted by the officials, and their action was approved by the ewperor. At the new outbreak, a hundred miles further up the stream, it will be amore difficult to bring the river under control, because it has become, with its one outlet to the ocean recently made, more winding than before. 'I'he Missi sippi engineering is based on the pri ciple that the outlet should be straight and short. The Chinese have allowed
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