The Shen Pao of 8th October has a leader on the apathy of the educated men of China (well qualified to teach their countrymen morality and purity of life from their own education, and having the Chinese Classics and the Sacred Edict for texts for their discourse) neglect of their duty to the illiterate class in preaching and expounding, in which many a foreign missionary sets them an example. It fears that in these days of travelling abroad, when foreign teachers are devoting such attention to the teachings of Confucius, and bringing their pure gold back to China made into current coin at a foreign mint, there is danger of the minds of the Chinese becoming Europeanised en masse, unless the literati make an effort to withstand the pr disin.
4 letter from Kiukiang says: Li, the Yangtze junk admiral, was recently out with his fleet ascending the Great River, when a violent storm arose, the waves ran very high, and the war-junk captains begged him to allow them to take in sail and-anchor till it blew over. Li, thinking them afraid, gave the order to proceed to Lung-tang for the review which had been commanded, blow high, blow low, and threatened that he who showed the white feather and hung back should pay for his disobedience with his life according to martial law, When the order was known, sweeps were out and the junks began to struggle again forward against the gale. One boat capsized, and a number of men of the crew were drowned. The Admiral then anchored. This occurred on 27th Sept.—Shén Pao.
The Hu Puo says: The Japanese newspapers have an amusing story about a recent purchase by the Corean Government. It recently ordered 2,000 rifles to be made bya firm in Tokio, which having 'a frugal mind" addressed itself to the Japanese Feseage' authorities to ask them if they had any old rifles which they could not use in stock, as if so it would be happy to take them off their hands to supply to the guileless Coreans. We have not heard what reply the Japanese War Office made to the proposal. Perhaps the worthy armoured thinks the Corean army will be as contented with guns'that will not go off as old Tao Yuan-ming, that good easy-going soul, was with his lute with no strings to i Viceroy Tstng Kuo-chuan has despatched three ying of troops (battalions, of 500 men each), to Chtih-chow Fu to disperse lawless assemblage of men belonging to a Hui [probably the Ko: lao Hui; Ch'ih-chow Fu is a Prefecture in Anhui Province, Lat. 30.40, Long. 117.30).
'The following news is contained in telegram received through Sheng Taot'ai, Chefoo, from Tsi-nan Fu, Shantung: ' Ascertained that 900 villages have' suffered from the floods, involving 300,000 people in distress. Sixteen hundred cash lowest necessary to relieve each; without 70,000 impossible to work. Shang-ho Hien worst place, 200 or 300 villages, 'Ts. 20,000 necessary. ' Lin-yiHien, 400 or 500 villages, though flood latest to' arrive there, 100 villages in great, need, Tls. 10,000 required, District of Li-cheng' (Prefectural City. of Tsi-nan Fu), 200 villages, great distress, Tls. 10,000 already distributed."
The Municipality of Macao governs that colony well, and merchants enjoy the fullest refection under Portuguese rule, but they ave to pay for it the respectable sum of between two and three million dollars ear, in imports of various, kinds. "The jeaviest_ contribution of all is levied from the gambling-houges, Aboyt Tls. 100,000 are levied from this source annually, and we hear that they have now been farmed for a period of six years for a total sum of $840,000, The farmers are gentry of Luang-shan Hien in good society, but such fan investment cannot be regarded with approval from a moral point of view.
Phe ox is a stupid animal, but in plough ing and harrowing he works hard to bring grist to our mills, and afterwards in grinding it one ox will do the work of five men. The Buddhist priests tench us that of all ways of accumulating demerit none is worse than to slay the harmless necessary ox, that beef eaters will have no posterity, and that those who abstain from beef will not die of cho-lora or other pestilences, while those who buy oxen to spare their lives will theinselves enjoy longevity. Outside the Sit Mao, a gate of Soochow, at a place called 'T'sao Chan, or date-stores, isa Nin-wang Mise, Temple of the King of the Cows, with tens of stalls for the reception of sick or feeble cattle ransomed from the poor peasants who would otherwise sell them to the butchers. Hero they are regularly fed and watered, and when they die they are interred. The funds are raised by a tax on the oil-extracting mills, which pay six cash a day tax on each ox they employ. The managers are all honourable gentry of the locality. Ninth moon tenth day this year (4th October) is called Nin-wang's birthday, and on that day they invite the good people who contribute to a feast preceded by a visit to Nin-wang's Temple to burn incense before the God of the Cows,—Hu Pao.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.