In a leading article upon the recent Ichang riot, the various incidents which culminated in the atruck upon the Customs are recounted; the places where the riots occurred last year are referred to, and it is remarked that the outbreak at: Tchang last year was by far the most destructive one of the whole series, owing to Ichang being so far in the interior. The determination of the mob to wreck and destroy the Customs building, which they knew "belonged to the Government and not to the foreigners in the employ of the Government, the writer regards as being a wilful intention on the part of the mob to risk the violation of the ' Imperial Statute," and not xs an attack upon the foreigners. The article goes on to condemn at length and in" forcible manner, th: conduct of the literary man who led th mob, It snys while it is wrong for the country peuple to become riotous and disorderly, the conduct of the literary man in leading them is certainly unpardonable for the ignorant there is some excuse for such conduct, but for a man of lear act thus is certainly not right. A literary man is supposed to be a man who underaoli, and if one fails to know what ight and wrong, how should he be classified in the category ut literati? A man of thiy class is always looked up spected, and wields " powerful over the people of his community, and his words always lave great weight, often rendering him a more successful' pence-maker in disputes arising between motnbers of his con; munity, than even the officials, In commenting upon the conduct vf the f it sys their line of procedure was rash, for by taking into their own hands the dispersing of the mob by clubs and sticks, ne they did, the rioters might be provoked to serious and irreparable harm. Tt is to be hoped, it remarks, that foreigners residing in Chine will in future always try to obtain redress for wrong through the proper ch the authori 0 thint difficulties may be more speedily settled; and it would always be consonnut with wisdom for foreigners to avoid being present at large and numerous gatherings of the people.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.