The second period of Futien has been cool. Storms with heavy rains, gusty winds, and much thunder and lightning gave us a temperature which in the north of the prefecture made a heavy evverlet " necessity at nights. The abundant rains have made a good rice harvest certain in maw plices, especially among the hills and by the river banks. The lower part of our river is a large lake stretching for miles. This is due to heavy floods which are spoken of by the natives as coming fom the south and west of Hankow.
BOATS EXPENSIVE, These high waters make boats scarce; all of them being hastened off with large cargoes of wheat. The prices of boats are now double what they were a month ayo. Still, Doat travelling is far more easy than mountain climbing would be such weather as this, though it be more expensive.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.