The one booming concern just now is the building of railways. the French have reopened the line to Paotingfu, and brought it through the walls of the Chinese city on to the Ch'ienmén. They are preparing a large area of ground outside the west wall for fitting-rooms and sidings that will be necessary at the terminus of the Peking-Hankow trunk line. The grave question of the graves has been settled by an ultimatum to clear the ground, So the Chinese are now busy digging up their dead and removing their ancestors. 'The British are preparing to straighten the Tientsin track and continue it into the Tartar City witha branch Jine to. Tung. chou. The Russians are arranging for their line from the north of the capital to Mane' uria, THE LATE CAPTAIN WATTS-JoNES, The funeral' of Cunt. Watis-Jones, ne, who was mudeed at Keucihuh sig, took plice with military honours on the 23rd. A large number of officers accom: pied the cortése from tue Chtiyehfa Hospital to the British cemetery outside the wall of the Tartar City, at i's monthly meeting discussed again the question of comity 2nd vigorously protested against Mark Twain's animadversions in the "North American Review for February It sozins strange that a buds of intelligent men should so often consider the question of comity and yet fail to initiate any practic] scheme of ¢o-c-eration. In the fresh conditions of the new century and the unique opportunity now presented in the Chins field, it seems incredible that small and sectarian differences should interfere with a united campaign for the larger purposes and grander aims of the Kingdom of God.
23rd March.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.