Once again have we turned our back on spring and plunged into midwinter. After having several balmy daya the snow began to fall on Thursday, March 3rd, then more fell on Friday and Saturday night, and we had a fall of four inches, making about 8} to 9 inches of snow altogether. The thermometer ranged from 20° to 21° F. night and morning, but the snow was melting fast through the middle of the day. Such weather goes hard with the poor pauply, especially the beggars, xs they are nut able to get about and ply their vocation, not a few of them having to go about on their bands and knees.
The present Taotai, Liu Tso-ya (BA) {fe TH) by name, formerly at Nanking, is ently praised by the people for his fid lity in office. During the winter, fearing robbers and Kolao Hui men, he woul often be out in disguise till 3 and 4 a.m., inspecting the city and keeping up with the state of affairs, not satisfied to rely on his runners as so many officials dv. The natives say he is one in thousand, and his earnest efforts to further the welfare of the city are all the more commendable seeing hw is quit old man, 60 or there-
A few days ago n fire broke out not far from a tire station on the north bank of the Grand Canal, and was got under control before many straw houses were consumed. It was said to be the work of an incendiary and originated behind teashop, The proprietor of this teashop was taken up by the magistrate and would have been beaten for his carelessness if the fire had been accidental, but as all the evidence to incendiarism, the proprietor, th loser of his teashop and yet declared innocent, was condemned to wear a wooden collar three days at the seat of the fire. The explanation of this is that if nothing were done to the teashop man at whose house the fire originated, the neighbours who suffered by the fire would blame hin and try to force him to make reparation because his enemy had set fire to his shop. But the magistrate, punishing the proprietor by making him wear the wooden collar, stops the monthe of the neighbours, who dare notsxy a word. Thus the father of the people dispenses justice and restores peace among his children of the Great Pure Kingdom. During the above mentioned fire a man was caught stealing a box from one of the houses. This is a dreadful offence and the punishment is heavy. is was put in wooden cage, and the adjustable top, fitting closely around his neck, was'raised to such a height that the man was obliged to stand up on tiptoe, and if he tried to let himeelf his feet he practically This punishment is coutinaous, be respite being allowed during the night and no food being supplied to the criminal, The cage containing this offender was put outside the wagistrate's yamen as "warning to others, and a wholesome warning it must have been, for after a day and a half of uuspexkable succumbed to his horrible pur Such punishment generally relensi prisoner by death in three days, but the cold weather probably lessened the time in this case.
8th March.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.