and consequently this winter will be severe for many thousands in this unhappy land. We hear rumours of much unrest and dissatisfaction amongst the people in the south and west and the growth of a sect called the GREAT KNIFE, OR SWORD MEN, and another sect called "Boxers" whose aim—China for the Chinese and down with the foreigners—does not tend to the peace of mind of the said foreigners. Fortunately in our own immediate neighbourhood harvests are fairly good, and the people are contented or apparently so. Prices for grain, however, are high and as the winter advances will inevitably get higher, causing the pinch of poverty to be an ever-present reality to the many who are in need.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.