It was the writer's privilege to spend the month of November in this little knowe province, and a few notes regarding the journey may interest your readers. The district visited was chiefly the prefecture of Largs a large district lying west and north of the Tungting Lake, and extending from that lake to the borders of Shinanfu in Hupeh, the district S.W. of Ichang—a distance of quite 200 miles. "The entrance was made into the province near a village 40 or 50 miles south-west of Shasi. Near this village, a few miles within the Hunan border, live a Christian family, under whose hospitable roof several days were happily spent, From this village a day's journey south brought my Chinese friend and myself to the busy town of Tsinhsi, one of the most important and thriving trade centres in-West Hunan. Here there are not only the usual articles of Chinese trade, but many stores filled with foreign which, thanks to the excellent water communication, seem to be cheaper here than at Shasi or Ichang. Foreign ai! for instance, is 500 to 800 cash per box cheaper than at these ports. The pulation, however, are very anti-foreiga and turbulent, and have repeatedly given sistance to the telegraph other supposed trouble to their own: officials by their re-
foreign innovations. For instance, a couple ars ago, the Viceroy sent some mulberry plants to improve the silk culture; these were duly planted but by-and: by the word went round that these were foreign trees; whereupon the people promptly dug them up and threw them into the river, medicine being poured into the holes to prevent any further harm,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.