(Condensed from Der Ostasiatische Lloyd.)
The chief town in the district on Kiaochou bay, now in German occupation, is Chime. "To reach this place from Tsingtao, off which the fleet is at anchor, a low pass is crossed from which a descent is made into a wide plain, richly cultivated. Another low range to. the north planted with Kisfern divides this plain from a second rich valley, studded with villages, embowered in' groves of fruit trees, up which distance of 12 English miles (18 kilo.) brings one to the port of Tsangk'ou, Tsangk'ou is a miserable harbour with a fow small junks laid up on the mud left dry by the ebb-tide: it exports large quantities of cabbages to the Shanghai market; these come down from the interior on wheelbarrows, The people were quite friendly and the presence of the Germans did not seem to trouble them in the least.
Koeping the chain of the Laoshan mountains on our right hand, and_ passing through numerous prosperous villages, a long and folious ride brought us at length to the fortified city of Chime, some 30 English miles distant from Tsangk'ou, Already in the suburb we had the pleasure of saluting three German officers, but upon riding through the well-kept walls and entering the wide "Marktplatz" in the centre of the town, we might almost have fancied ourselves in " German country town, A "park" of wagons with sentries guarding them; sailors and marines standing about at ease after their march; here 'a group of officers, there a marching atrol, and all this right in the heart of thine We. called in at the quarters of the officers of H.G.M.S. Kaiser who had been. already eight days installed have; they were throughly enjoying the new life on shore and were in the best of spirits. The German garrison generally is on excellent terms with the officials and people who seem to have no objection to the foreign soldiers faarding thole gates and patrolling their city walls. As to the civil magistrate Chu, he wisely put a good face on the matter from the first. With a district to govern 500 English square miles in extent, he has under him but few subordinate officials including the Customs clerks at the different ports. China is not troubled with over-government: the people practically govern themselves, the annually lected" elders being responsible for order. Mr. Chu could hardly have dreamt a few weeks ago that his good quiet city of Chime would be to-day the headquarters of an army of German sailors and marines; that German double-sentries would keep watch and ward on the walls; and that bands of "liberty" men would. parade their streets and inspect their temples. Anyway, Mr. Chu received us with much apparent cor-duality and, over the customary tea and hot cakes, answered freely the numerous questions with which we plied him during isit. He told us that land and people poor: no resources beyond a little insignificant produce such as beans, pulse, beancake, cabbages, and pears. Neithercoal nor otherminerals existed indis. district,—much less well-to-do merchants or indeed any trade worth mentioning.
Why then has Chime been occupied by 600 German troops? As far as we could learn, iti is to prevent the re-assemblage of"
Chinese tro 1 the J neighbourhood:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.