For a long period the densely-vapulated wilderness" represented by the words at the head of this letter has not been the scene of any foreign activities whatever, owing "to circumstances beyond our control." About the middle of October, however, one of the families and several sin-Jo ladies returned to their former happy wunting-ground, having been preceded few weeks by the physician in the endea-your to adjust the indemnities. Nearly three weeks of unremitting effort in three counties had resulted in the profession on the part of one local magistrate (that of Tochou) of a desire to settle everything privately, which he has been ever since engaged in doing. Unfortunately much of the adjustment appears to be so strictly private that neither side knows anything about it, but the magistrate himself explains that he is struggling hard to keep both parties perfectly happy, and that in time he will have everything arranged. Another official (in P'ingyuan) stoutly maintained that there was nothing to be paid, but that " small dole made during the spring, to. which the parties claiming indemnity were forced to assent, or be beaten, was a full compensation for everything. A third magistrate (of Enbsien,) who has been an intimate friend of the foreigner and a warm admirer of his usefulness in times of emergency," offered about one-fourth of the face of the claims, these having been already reduced to very modest and reasonable proportions.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.