The forests and glorious vegetation, the magnificent fertile valleys, and the size and handsome appearance of the farm-house all struck me greatly. I could hardly believed such things existed in China, Then again the abundance of the coal, which crops out of the road, is marvellous the people have only to dig it out and use it for fuel." On that route I met with a great deal of hostility. The people were most unfriendly, asd proceolod to violence, but the officials always endea-youred to do their best to protect me. Before coming to Paoningfu the country becomes less Alpine and less rich and populous. From Paoningfu I went by Sintientsi, a less interesting hilly country to Mienchau, everywhere impressed. with the richness of the country in coal and salt. I travelled in that region for some time, visiting various objects of interest and eventually reached Kuanhsien. On the way thither I experienced very bad treatment, being attacked and stoned and hit in the head by a large stone, the effects of which I feel even now. Kuanhsien is in the north-west corner of the plain of Chengtu, which I found a most marvellous instance of fertility and wealth of population—I have seen nothing like it anywhere. Thave travelled for eleven days over the plain and there is not a place where you do not hear the sound of rushing water, so completely is it irrigated. Kuanhsien is the centre of eat deal of trade with Northern Tibet, chiefly in drugs. It is also very interesting as being the place where—nobody knows how many hundreds or thousands of years
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.