Proclamations have this evening been inued fixing rice at 28 cash a pint and promising to immediately open the granaries. The result is a rush on the rice shops which now are selling at a loss of 7 or 8 cash a pint and have to trust to the memory of the officials to resupply their vanishing stock. Already two shops have been wrecked. 'The Mandarins are really powerless, for as I wrote you recently, the military force, which' often does ' good police duty, has been so recklessly cut down that the Brigadier-General has scarcely enough men left to form a body-guard for the Tuotai, To-day has given the proof.
19th May.
EATING HUMBLE PIE, P.S.—A special courier leaves this aftornoon, of whom I avail myself. After much perstinsion the peuple have opened. their shops again. There was much join; yesterday as they cised them, the chief point being that they would have a unday like the foreigners and all. go to Church, To-day the Into district magistrate has been suspended by the Taotai and the now likin officer takes his place; the two sub-magistrates have also been suspended. The Taotai, prefect, now magistrate, and other officials are cating pic of the humblest. They are going the round of all the business streets on foot, in plain clothes, with their seals in their hands, bowing to right and bowing to left, begging the dear people" to continue their business like good children, and the day is hot as July. How wet and weary and woo-begone they look we have not ventured to go and see.
20th May, 'A lotter from Ningpo, dated the 28th ult., says:—Last night the Protestant Missionaries gave a return dinner to the Taotai, prefect, and district magistrate. They were very much excited over further news which they had just received from Wenchow.
There had been further trouble, and the native officials, taking a firmer attitude had used the soldiers at their disposal, witl the result that two persons were shot dead. This has complicated affaire; but the Wenchow, officials were laying to appease the relatives of the two men oF. & money compensation of three thousand dollars. That the position of affairs in Wenchow was grave was evident from the conversation and demeanour of the officials here, and we shall look with eagerness for news per Poooki on Monday next.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.