What promises to bea rather interesting investigation is now taking place at Canto under the Chinese [ME port, Priefly the circumstances of the ease are as follows ~The Customs having received warning of the approach of a Munch from the east, sent a small cruiser to watch her. The lnuuch was seen by the gunboat to discharge a quantity of opium into a fishing buat. Both the launch and the boat were ut once chased, and the latter tired upon. She nevertheless susceoded in dodging amongst a fleet of fishing Doats in shoal water and her identity was soon lost. The cruiser then tackled che launch, which after being chased for a mile, was captured. Previous to i capture she had fivwn no faz, but just: Defore sh" was taken she hoisted the} French colours wd it was they found that "obe bore two names, "On we" on her stein achieved my purpose.
Then we have him calmly posting for the Press letters in which he describes what he is about to do—and this just_before he sets out on his bloody errand. Finally we see him calmly intruding into the City Council Chambers, one hand holding his visiting card and the other clutching the handle of an antique sword that has long been a heirloom in his family, his respectable appearance and lofty demeanour keeping all the attendants at a respectful distance. His nly re Mr. Hoshi, Have you repented characteristic of him as Mr. Moshi's answer, "Stand hack " was jelaracteristio of that violent and imof perative politician.
{Phe last touch is added by the assassin avowed reason for cluing as he did—to protect the morality of the students.
Now that Mr. Hoshi's strenuous life is ended there seems to be.a reaction in his favour.
Even his enemies cannot help ex-their regret that a comparatively man of such vitality, cleverness, and energy has been lost tothe country at such a critical period in her history. Te haust not" be forgotten, however, that Mr. Heshi's extreme, stubbornness' and im-2 ight have done the country more than goad. It is dificult for instante couteive of his-extricating"h& country from delicate foreign complications as Minister for Foreign Affairs. Anyhow, disorderly ruffians "helped him, with or without his consent, into power, and during his first electoral campaign in Tochigi Ken two or three people are said to have been murdered by his turbulent followers and many injured, He was expelled from Parliament, expelled by the Tokio Barristers' Association, compelled to resign his post as Minister of Communications in Marquis Ito's Cabinet, was strongly suspected of corruption, and he certainly managed to amass a comparatively big fortune, which the reader may regard as proof positive of corruption of xs a satisfactory explanation of the jealousy with which the deceased was regarded, just as he like THE AMERICAS, The Americans are going to have " big time of it on the lith of July, when the Military Governor of the Philippines will come to Japan to unveil the monument erected by the Japanese to Admiral Perry who, as is well known, was the first representative of x Foreign Power to wake a treaty with the Japanese Government since the Christian persecutions of the 17th century and the consequent closing of the country, The Admiral was not by any meos an extraordinary man and his fo a treaty on the then helpless Japanese was no difficult tusk Besides, the sensitive Japanese are now beginning "to argue with great volubility and no litle plausibility that Admiral Perry only forced matters by a few months or at most " few years; that the fermentation had begun inside the F empire, and that the great movement which is generally set down as being the direct result of the American Admiral's visit would have taken place anyhow. But despite all this, the Japanese acknowledge that Admiral Per rendered them important services and they have freely contributed to the monument of which Vice-Adwiral Brardslee suggested the erection when he was here last year the Emperor contributing one thousand dollars.
As I said before there will be grent junketings among the local Americans on Ue occasion, many boatloads of Che starting the night before the date fixed for the site of the monument; and Ido not see how a Shanghai American could better spend his summer vacation than in comin here to take part in the fun. If bye comes he will tind that, Yokohama Americans not at all © stuck up.
Japan has now seen in wil probability the last of the venerable Field-Marshal' who commanded the allied troops in North ind it ie not we we much te lifts a load elf the Governmental mind, At first there were fears of sosbis, for Germavy was then nove too popular here; latterly it was feared that the ancient warrior would never survive the innumerable tiffins I dinners he was be Who pri cipal fact for Britishers to attend to, however, is that his mission was more political than complimentary and that, seconded or perhaps nti: olligent Minister, he by to fail favour at the Court of the Mikado, 25th Juve.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.