Business is much impaired. A grent deal of this yont's crop of silk is yet unsold, and silk establishments are idle. Those who have worley are hoarding it, and little building is going on, so artisans of all ports are idle, The price of rice is not high, howerer, The general Jack of acc both gives opportunity for and stimulates an unusual amount of talk, Items of news from the native Press are angerly read and Lauded around and discussed, though muck of it ix distrusted. And as to rumours, their number, variety, and absurdity are! astonishing, "At one' end of x town it} is reported that a ative preacher in the other end tus been killed, but when someborly visite the place he finds the said preacher sitting quietly in his home receiving visitors. It is rumoured that certain missionaries have surely been murdered, who unexpectedly turn up ea the scene alive and unconcerned. It is reported, for instance, that Mokanshan and Huchow have been looted, wheres direct, recent, reliable reports state that all is quiet and the officials are alert as to foreign property at those places. I mention these two plices especially, because these reports have gained some currency even among foreigners, It seems true that some troops were diverted from Kashing to aid the Prefect at Huchou but not against an anti-foreign mogoment' Officials are on the alert against disturbance ofthe general porce such as have occurred already in the southern part of the province.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.