These diggings are the pro people whose land on cither Constantly changing river bed extends to the edge of the water. This frequently ing landmark and consequent. own of land caused by the altered bed of the river, is a fruitful source of litigation. Two Fea Tent a sanpple of gold dust from this river to a friend in London. Tt was found to be of inferior quality, and the price of it would not lea much of margin of profit if it were exported.
Id in the N. W. of China is used chief ly for making ornaments and jewellery. Only the officials seem to use it in conveying the spoils of their office from place to place as they move from billet to billet.
Vu Hsien.
On route we met an experienced missionary travelling to the coast from Lis an, the late residence of the Empress Dow er and her Court. "He gave ws an item of news which puts the execution of Vu Hyien beyond the region of doubt. He has heard the testimony of two Christian solliers who were with the Governor Vu Hsien at Taiyuanfu, and also having himself lived in" the neighbourhood of Vu Hsien's native town, where the oan's mother and relatives still live, his into be considered porieetly reli formant is satisfied that Vu Hsien was decapitated at Lanchow in Kansuh. [also learn from another source that his wife was executed with him. When tra '0 his home in Shensi ho was stopped at Tangkuan, on the Yellow river, by a message from the Empress Dowager that he was not to proceed to Heian. Vu Hsien was travelling alead of his family, mother being in the second party. This command not to to Hyian was the first intimation to Vu Hein that trouble awaited him. Native lence shows that he met with a terrible end, Neither the first nor the second stroke of the executioner's sword did its work. The same cruelty which he perpetrated upon helpless men, women and children swiftly came to himself, From information received from those who are timate with some of Vu Hsien's family learn that among those who urged that infamous wretch not to slaughter innocent and defenceless women and children was his own mother, $0 years of age. Again and again she bogged him to spire them, but he refused to listen. Althoush. every other member of Vu Hsien" fan Inow of his fate his mother was kept nor ant of the fact. AIL had agreed to keep it from her. foreigner just down from report has it that Vu Hsien's mot tion. When the ex ove of Shansi learned his fate he said "I know my time has come, but Tam glad T did what T did."
The Court at Hsian.
My friend visited the yamen occupied cly the Court in Heian, and inspected the occupied by the Empress Dow:—the best in the'palace. A large charac ter © Fu" (happiness) written on the wall of one of her rooms was pointed out to him as having been written by the Empress Dowager, and a quotation from the classics, written over one of the doors was also her workmanship.
The Emperor Kuang Hu occupied small rooms in a side yuantzu (court), and in every respect occup: ed a secondary position. Where fifty dishes of food were set before the Empress Dowayer only 10 were given to the Emperor. In reply to n the answer was that the En-press seldom partook of more than one or two of the dishes and a little "momo" (steamed rolls). and sent the rest away, She was evidently in frequent distress of mind. After first herself examining certain documents of state they were handed over to the Emperor for perusal.
The Empress-Dowager.
The Empress Dowager by her concern for the of the famine stricken people and her liberality in the distribution f relict has won the golden opinions of the inhabitants of Hsian. The sev with which she dealt. with some offi who were found guilty of dishonesty the work of the distribution of relief struck fear into the hearts of some others
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.