20th January. The Proposed French Steamboat Company in Chekiang Province.
As may be recalled by our readers a Fiench Company have been anxiously trying to get the permission of the high provincial authorities of Chekiang to run steamboat line between Shanghai, Hangchow and Shaohsing, which for certain local and also patriotic reasons BLE. Governor Nieh, of Hangchow, has consistently vetoed so far, especially in view of the fact that the terms of the recent commercial treaties made by China with the Foreign Powers have not yet been put into force. Once thesis done the navigation of inlaod waters by foreign-owned vessels becomes, of course, allow-of the French steamboat owners may possibly force them to attempt to run their boats to Hangchow and Shaohsing without waiting for logalities and the permission of the Chekiang provincial authorities, his Excellency has telegraphed Yuan Taotai of this port to ask the Commissioner of Customs here to prevent any such contretemps.
The Bund Tragedy.
With reference to the recent conference between H.E. Sheng Kung-pao and the Russian Consul-General, it should be stated that his Excellency was specially asked by the Waiwapu on Monday to see what he could do in the matter to quiet the discontent of the Ningpo community.
Bussians in Kashgaria.
According to treaty the Russian Consul-General at Kashgar is allowed guard of fifty Cossacks, but s dispatch recently received by the Waiwupu from H. E. Song Fan, Viceroy of Shensi, Kansu, and Chinese Turkestan, the Governor of the latter province, P'an Hsiao-ssu, has complained that the Cossack guard has lately been increased thirty-fold, in spite of the protests of the Tsotai of Kashgar, and that there is also now gathering s large Russian force on the Kashgar-Ferghana (the last-named a Russian province) frontier, which makes no pretence in hiding the fact that they intend to cross the border to take possession of Kashgar in the immediate future. To oppose these Russians the Chinese in Kashgar have scarcely any troops on hand, and the Governor of Chinese Turkestan therefore asks for help from Peking. Affairs appear to be in a terribly unprepared state in that portion of the Chinese dominions; not only is it declared at Uramtai (Tihus), the capital of Chinese Turkestan, ders there are not 5,000 troops whole province but that there is no money to pay even this small body of men their wages, these being, it is ssserted, in arrears at least six months. It further confidently stated by those who know how things stand in Chinese Turkestan, that " thousand Russians could overrun the whole province easily and! practically unopposed.
A Government Defeat in Kuangsi.
'A Canton dispatch reports that the Tang brigade of Kuangsi troops has been badly defeated by the insurgents at jnlin, near the provincial capital, Kueilin, and that Viceroy Tsin has been compelled to withdraw an important body of troops, under General Huang Chung-hao, near Nanning to proceed to Liulin and restore the peace there.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.