The whole of our district has been excited over'a village dispute of a serious character: As is usual might has prevailed and the right has been condemned in heavy costs which have gone as bribes to the: chilsien who. has tried the case. The Jofrnuded by the-defendants. These, un-plaintiffs were in the right; and had been
able: to satisfy justice, but possessing several pugilists and several able counsel, first challenged their opponents to a fight Some two hundred. of tle defendant lagers were prepared and well-armed for attack. Their speurs and other weapons terrified the plaintiffs who consequently refused to. submit their cause to a test afforce: The defendants then returned to their own village, pulled down several of their own houses, Inid counter charge against the plaintiffs, who are condemned int one thousand odd strings of cash damages, much-of which, report says, has repaid the defendants the heavy bribe they used t" get such a decision, It. ig: estimated that over one million: taeléi forwarded annually' from: this province to the Imperial Treasury. Beside this much is sent to assist the poorer West and North-West provinces. The despatch of thirty thousand taels x little while since made the chilsien's yamen appear like a packers, mith, and barrowman had beehive. Chihsien, underlings, carpenters,
their part toperfurm. And one was surprised how busy a yamen can really appear when silver is about. The silver was packed in tube-like cases, each containing several thousand ounces each. These were bound with strong iron bands, after which they were officially stamped and packed on the barrow ready for the roads, As I watched the busy scene in company with the chi-Hsien L wished that other people's silver was as secure from theft as this would be. You might have thrown one down in the road, said my informants, and no one would dare to touch its
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.