tHe ¥ 's vistr, An unwonted bustle and excit recently been observable in this pi contrast to. the quiet monotony which usually marks the life of an inland city. Many officials are seen burnying about one's morning slumbers are broken by salvos of artillery and the crack of ritles and the streets sivarm with soldiers whose equipment shows a ludicrous mixture of ancient and modern methods. Huge mud. bedraggled flags by the side of smart kettledrums, Mauser ritles and wicker shields painted with huge tiger heads, and Maxim Ly the two-man jingals of the ao and Shan! The' cause of this display and martial activity is the visit of the Viceroy, Lu Ch'uau-ming on his tour of inspection of the troops of the province, which is required by law once in three The Viceroy's party dat ingkiatgpu at midnight, 17th April. For several days previous, the sluices along the Grand Canal as far down as Yangchow had been clused in order that the Vierregal fleet might not be shoaled by low water. At daybreak on the 18th the review began, continue three days. The troops to be reviewed include soldiers of every description (beside many who are not soldiers) in the prefectures of Huaianfu and Yangchoufa, Beside those from the whole northern part of the province, from Haichou and Chiiichoufu. The rumour is that the Viceroy had plan: ed to go north to Chiichoufu to hold a review, but as the large present which he expected from the officials there had not arrived, he punished them by requiring them to send all their soldiers to meet him here for review—a grim revenge when the great extra expense, occasioned by moving such a body of troops, is taken into account The number of soldiers of all kinds should by law amount to 25,000, or thereabouts. AS a matter of fact there are present about 10,009, including the "sisters, cousins and aunts" who. are mustered in to do duty for the moment, that, is the large percentage ut youths from the plough-handle, of yamen runners and loafers, who for a duy.or two don the soldiers' uniform to fill out the muster rolls.
san exiunple of how muster rolls are sifed, your correspondent was informed cell informed teacher that the artillery battalion or division, the Hsiung Wu, which is supposed to ined with the hest modern rapid fire guns and to be in all respects up to date, should number men. This battalion is known to have only 280 men in the ranks, ov 2,000 men short, Where does the pay for th Ue mentioned also another fact relating to the maintenance of this battalion, and the opportunity is thereby given for extensive squeezing A tax is levied on rice, by which several thousand piculs are raised and by law, the rate of commutation, where payment made in cash instead of in grain, is 2,000 cash per picul of rice. As a matter of fact, payment in grain ys refused by the ollicials and the xd the country peuple per picul is 5,280 cash, or an excess over the legal char 28) cash per pion. The friends of China grmm aod are not surprised that, with such a state of things, in time of extremity this unfortm country is fund with nu army on which it it can depend
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.