The past winter and spring have been the driest season "in the memory of the oldest inhabitant." Sy cee in the past of the last ten days—for three cays and three have been more than made up by the rains nights, literally, it poured incessantly. Now the Canal, streams, and ponds are full to overflowing. There has been a perfect deluge. Nota fow straw huts and walls have succumbed. But worse than all, (irreparable damage!) the pride of Tsingkiangp'u has fallen, The noble earthen rampart, which is said to have cost this unfortunate government tis. 100,000, and was thrown up around the suburbs of the whole town to repel the Japanese, is in ruins, The rains have done what our stout defenders feared the ut there is some remaining comfort. If guns of the Japanese would do. the earthworks are gone, the silver still remains with the friends, the officials, the enterprising contractors, who made a-snug sum out of the transaction to put by "against a rainy day." " Moreover, the foreigner does hee ing because he has now a Leora road to the fields for an evening walk.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.