I asked the missionaries stationed there why they did not remove from their cramped native quarters into the beautiful open country some few hundred yards farther away and outside the wei-tez, or mud city-wall. They replied it would be useless to be there unless they were to Setended, It seema that every fall and atrison the plice and make it strongly
winter the whole district is infested with robbers, who go ubout in well-armed gangs and rob in every direction, 'The larger turm-houses are all built' with watd towers, some member of the family is always on guard to give the alarm, and the men. always sleep with arma ready to repel an attack, Iam told all the Roman Catholic stations are practically forts, some even armed with cannon to repel robbers. The Protestant missionalles travel all over the neighbourhood, which they would not be uble to do if they lived outside the city. It would be necessary for them to remain and protect their compounds and families. The country is over-populated and especially overtaxed and oppressed by the mandarins. During all the lawlessness of lest year officials never even attempted to preserve order, but, simply left the people to take care of themselves and fight. their own battles.
At Tsingkiangpu I enquired as to the reports published in the North-China Daily News 93 to the establishment of an army" headquarters there. The officials "when questioned sid they too had heard: the rumours: from the papers, but no official commisnication had been received in re: ference to the matter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.