get 50,000 or 60,000 saplings which will be! plated here, and in various places in the two departments of this province (Ningkuo and Taiping) which lie between Chekiang and Wahi. "Men - began on 10th: February, 1897, digging and manuring the gardens here at Wuhu for planting the trees as scion as they should arrive. They are set 5 feet apart, and there will be room for 2,000 or 3,000 of then in the Qacres of land set apart for the purpose."
There is an albumen factory established at Wuhu by a German firm, just as in the case at Chinkiang, and no.doubt the exports of 1897 will be increased by the results of this industry. For some time past there has been a large trade done in the export of duck and goose feathers; which, Mr. Fraser says, are going to form the stuffing of soft feather beds "made in Germany."
Another industry under purely Chinese auspices has been started which bids fair to be successful, that of a flour mill, this being one of the results of the abrogation of the former regulation prohibiting the importation of industrial machinery. As flour, ground by foreign machinery. is becoming "very popular in many parts of the empire, Mr. Chang, "a retired native of Aubni, who is a capitalist, having long held -lucrative posts in the province," says Mr. Fraser, "lias bethought himself that Wahu, owing to its advantageous position on the Yangtze, must become 'a great trading contre, and he has started a_purely native company with " capital of, it is said, about £80,000 to build and run alarge steam flour-mill here. At first, with the. machinery used, it is expected to turn out only 200 piculs of flour a month, bat no doubt if business goes: well this will be increased. As.the cora grown in the neighbourhood of 4 Wahu is too small-grained and. loose, the grain will be brought from a district in the next province, nearer to Nanking than to Wahu, where it is very large and firm. The resulting flour will be packed in bags similar in all respects those now imported. As Tientsin is the only port where there is a ative enterprise of the kind great expectations are formed of the profits from the product of the Wuhu mill, if it can be sold cheap enough, as a ready sale is expected for it in no fewer than six provinces—Kiangsi, Hupeh, Hunan, and Szechuan, up river, and Chekiang and Kiangsu, down river. Nearly tw acres of land have been bought by the company, on which will be erected the factory, quarters for manager, clerks, and workmen, and warehouses, by a native architect."
It is in Anhui that the Chirese writing ink, known to foreigners as Indian ink, is made, and considerable quantities are sent to foreign countries, though the superior kinds are reserved for use in China. There are over a pound:. Mr. Fraser caudades his report withs return of shipping at Wal, which shows. that of 1,452. vessels entered, 969 were British, 32 German and 451 Chinese, and. of the 1,452. cleared 969 were British; 31 German, and 452 Chinese,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.