It is reported that, about as a couple-of posthoats carry of two local native postal agencies were passing Huangtu (colloquially pronounced Wongdoo") en route for Soochow, they were pursued and overtaken at about 5 p.m. by'two swift piratical craft, cental ing over forty armed men. The post boat men wore immediately bound and gagged and their boats ransacked of every thi in them, The boots taken appeared to be a fairly rich one. ne loss than Ths 000 money and balls of imported Indian opium being carried off by the pirates, who then disappeared as suddenly as they had come. The pirates were said to resemble disbanded soldiers and they were all well armed with now rifles.
Poor Hirvests in Prospect for Kiangsu.
It is stated that the light fall of snow this winter in this provines is filling the hearts of the officials with creat anxiety and it is feared that in consequence the harvest this year will be a very poor one. All the officials of Kiangsu from the h ext down to the lowest are now praying at the temples of each city for snow. and an order has been issued by Governor En Shan (Manchu) prohibiting the killing of animals for the space of seven days, in order to propitiate the gods.
22nd Tannery.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.