of the journey in Manchuria which he, apical Society. in June lst count Mr. Fulford and Mr. Younghusband made in 1885. Mr. Fulford's already been noticed by are as a matter of course very to those of his companion's, but Mr. James deals more with the geographical features of the country through which they passed. Both writers show the vast importance which Manchuria is to China and the extensive immigration which is going on there. " For one Manchu that is now seen" says Mr. Jam ers decks the hills and vales. Climbing the heights of the Pai:, to the lake in the old crater, they were up to the {waist in husuiant grass, full of tiger lilies and other gorgeous flowers, and they went across a stretch of moorland, perhaps two or three miles broad, covered. with a dwarf white rhododendron, a lovely pink flower like an azalea, a pink heath and other flowe: Even on the naked pumice there were chumps of wild yellow poppies, dwarf saxifrage, 2 vetch and other botanical treasures. Mr, James made a collection of flowers and plants which he sent to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, the Director which fowud that it comprised up-[wards of 500 species of flowering plants, 32 ferns, and 10 lycopods and horsetails (Equisetum), Indeed Manchuria seems to be the real flowery land, "there are probably: twenty Chines 3) and it is also rich in valuable for nearly all Manchu customs have disap-For a part of the way the travellers peels except in the army the Tartar hat ively on pheasants, only has disappeared like the hat of old women varied bya wild goose or a bh in Wales; the language itself is now Mr. James gives such g account spoken only in a few remote valleys of the profusion of big and little game in fact, two teachers of Manchu had as should tempt sportsmen to try Man-actually to be imported from Peking to chur: Throughout the whole of East-Kirin two years ago, on the express ern Manchuria, he says, "the ph ground thatthe few Manchus who had Is any knowledge of thei dible. Towards the end of har were all wanted as offi collect from the mountains in the stubble, Manchu is enrolled in the army a and T have owa soon as he arrives at the age of puberty draws a small pay for the rest of hi life, and has grants of land which he wing and they gave very ood shooting sublets to the Chinese. 'I'hey are in-In some parts, tov, wild geese swarmes disposed or unable to work and are myriads, and as' for the black game mostly hangers on about Yani dey were as tame. as ban-door fowls ing up odd bits of work and. trying for perd rks on the willow riuanent employment. General Mu is trees, anally were goud enough however trying to convert a large mun-to allow us to go under the trees one ber of these idle militiamen into repick out the finest of them sitting gulars; and the race has produced, and Beats and tigers, the Intter Inge aunt produces, as good civil officials every with thick coats, are to be found in whit as the Chinese. The depletion several districts, besides deer, sables, of the best Manchu blood to fill the lynxes, antelopes, bustards, cranes and Imperial army is probably one cause of wild fowl generally. the inferior character -of those who The travellers found gold and iron in remain at home. sone place within a few imiies of each Mr. James dilates on the delightful other, and there was also a silver mine fanchuria—that is when it close by. A good deal of gold washing does not rain. It is occasion hot, goes on, notwithstanding its illegality; but the travellers never felt and attracts rather a rascally popula worse than 87° in the shade. The winter Itis to be hoped that before long is severe, in the south the thermometer 4 stomatic development of the riches goes down to-15° Fahr, and in the the precious metals of Manchuria north to-d8* Fahr, but the cold Il be made, and we trust that the weather is bracing and in winter the catastrophe of the iamndations in the frozen roads make admirable highways Yellow Itiver districts will have the effect, for a vast amount of traffic, and some of hastening the action to this end which idea of this may be formed from the have for some mouths understood travellers having passed in one day the Peking authorities have been con-upwards of me hundred carts " most templating. The agricultural wealth of of them huge vehicles cannying up-the country is being rapidly developed wards of a ton of goods drawn by by the Chinese immigrants, From eight or nine mules or ponies." Mr. itsihar, the extreme point of the James says that the poppy grows Iusari- journey, Mr. James and his friends antly and that the native opium has; turned to the south-west, and after ousted Indian to such an extent that travelling over 170 miles of bare steppe the import of the latter which was] reached the flourishing town of Hulan. of the value of £572,000 in 1866 The district thereabouts has only been was in 1885 only £31,300. The! settled in recent times, and the new fertility of Manchuria is very great, towns within it offer a great contrast to and so also is its immineral wealth while the more ancient cities in Manchuria, in summer a profusion of gorgeous flow- "The streets are crowded with shops,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.