The officials are showing a good deal of anxiety with regard to the safety of foreigners down here.
They have warned us against leaving the ed cities without an armed escort of Chinese soldiers.
The Taichow Pengfu has posted up Ediets ying that many false rumours are spreading amongst the people with reference to the success of the Boxers in the North, but that thousands of foreign soldiers are on their way to China to fight against them, and that if any rowdy individuals interfere with the foreigners in Taichow they will ut once arrest and severely punish them, As one of the missionaries down here said the other day: Half the people in Trichow city are connected with the yamen, the other half feed there so that long as the olicials are friendly we and our property ought to be fairly safe. We are looking out somewhat anxiously for betters news from the North, for it will have a good effect upon the people here.
We are also greatly in need of rain. The officials fear that unless it comes soon, there will be disturbances amongst the people, and that they may make things unpleasant for foreigners.
Taichow, 26th July.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.