A year ago Mr. Huang, the Shanghai roy the advisability of bunding the foreshore Fate, suggested to the Nanking Vice-of the Huangpu river beginning at Tung-Kadoo where the French Concession ande, The Viceroy's consent having been obtained, the local mandarins evicted the large colony of Kiangpeh squatters who had taken possession of the foreshore and had built the usual matsheds over the land. This was a work of considerable difficulty, but the juntters had to go at Inst. Now after a whole twelvemonth of talk and spasmodic surveying of the entire line of the proposed new bund, (which will be only about thirty feet wide and extend some miles beyond the suburbs of the native city), the authorities have begun at inst to do this work in earnest, the local garrison (1,500 men) and the troops stationed near the Kiangnan Arsenal being utilised for the purpose. But although, humanity has been brought to view favourably the importance of the innovation, the dragon guardian of the Huangpu and his water. sprites have also to be propitiated and brought to the same way of thinking. Hence the day before the breaking of the first. sod (last Sunday) Mr. Huang, accompanied by his subordinate mandarins, had a tempora ary altar made on the river bank, near the East gate, and there sacrificial worship was paid to the god referred to. Furthermore, an apology was made to the dragon and his water sprites for the approaching invasion of their hitherto peaceful retreats, and the sprites were besought not to drag the coylies into the water in revenge for the approaching disturbance. A "despatch" to this effect having been read aloud by the Master of Ceremonies—the magistrate and his suite being in a kneeling position before the altar—the missive was then burnt and its ashes consigned to the Huangpu.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.