The Viceroy at Foochow reports that very heavy rains fell in the province of Fukien during the early part of the 5th moon of the present year, and that the district of Houkuan and other low-lying country in the south-western portion of his Jurisdiction suffered very severely from the inundations. As already reported to the Throne he telegraphed to his colleague at Nanking, asking him to withdraw the prohibition on the export of grain, and he received a reply to the effect that permission would be granted as usual for the export to Foochow of 200,000 piculs of grain free of duty. Officers were sent to report on the extent of the calamity in the flooded districts and to take such measures for the relief of the sufferers and the repair of the damage as the circumstances of the case seemed to require. The Ch'anglé and Minching districts in the prefecture of Foochow, numbers of districts in the prefecture of Yenp'ing, and several others in. the prefecture of Chienning had suffered more or less severely, but the water had all abated and no loss of life had been sustained. two hamlets in the Shangking districts within the prefecture of fingchou 65 chien of buildings had been demolished, and 27 people drowned by the floods. All this Occurred early in the Sth month, on the 28th of which a terrific storm occurtedin the neighbourhood of Fuochow, causing great loss of life and property in several districts, The storm seems to have been most severely felt at Futing, on the borders of Chekiang and Wenchow. Reports from the latter place announce the loss of 200 boats, and the death, from the effects of the storm, of over 200 people. The damage to the temples and other public buildings was very great. 'Two Government cruisers which were anchored in the neighbourhood were dashed to pieces, three of the being drowned, and all their equipments lost.' The Viceroy explains: that the visitation can scarcely be considered asa grave public disaster, but owing to the high price of grain the people are ina very straitened condition, especially in the Tue Where relief measures are required. The province of Fukien has subscribed ssu much within th of distress in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.