The out-stations of the Church of Scot land Mission have recently been visited by the missionaries. Everywhere the people were friendly, and the officials showed os-pecial care. In every district passed through, the Pacification Edict is posted up. One military official sent four soldiers over 30 miles to meet and receive the missionaries, and a magistrate sent runners 15 miles to escort the visitors to his city. Mission work in the country is eminently successful at present. Enquirers have increased so rapidly, it is hardly possible to keep pace with the work and its needs.
Three Years' Drought.
One district visited, 60 miles from Ichang in a north-easterly direction, has had bad harvests for three years owing to drought. It seems strange while we in this neighbourhood have had heavy rains and floods, that a district so near should have no rain at all. Although the rice crops have failed the people are growing cotton, sesamum, peanuts, and hemp, but even these look poor.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.