Mr. H. B. Bristow has now been in charge for some days. Tientain was this gentleman's first official station in China, and he has been here as locum tenons more than once, We have only one griev-
The unsettled state of the country at large throughout that region, is another condition for which the floods are in a measure responsible. During the short stay of two weeks in the vicinity of the district city of Hsien-hsien, the robbery of no less than two boats occurred on one night, nine on another night, and two on another. Also about dusk cone evening, a man on horseback was attacked by two mounted men and his horse taken, In the case of the first two boats in the outskirts of the village of Fant'un, one man was missing, supposed to be confederate with the thieves. The soldier police sent there for night service were beaten, by the magistrate and required to find the robbers. In the case of the nine, occurring some 60 /i further down the river, all we learned was that it had been referred to the magistrate. The loss in this cease was said to be about $709 or more. What seems almost incredible till one remembers how cowardly the Chinese ate asa rule, isthe statements, that only one man entered and robbed each boat. Of the other two, it was said that the loss was small, and thet they went on their way without reporting the matter at the time, The man robbed of his horse was said to belong to a family of considerable influence in his village, and his case would undoubtedly receive proper attention, but we heard nothing further of it during out stay. - Police boats belonging to the Viceroy's river fleet are on duty, and mo down the stream continually, but el number is too small, or they aren't sufficiently vigilant, or they are afraid of meeting these Tellows in the night: for they are said to'bo armed, and to fight hard if cornered. But this state of affairs is not new,—it is also a chronic, though somewhat aggravated condition of what, has existed for many years, and seems likely to contitiue so long as the producing causes remain,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.