On Christmas Day a certain native called at the residence of your correspondent and report: ihe arrival la the city of a missionary from the south of th" province. The missionary was hunted for, but could not be found, and the matter had somewhat the aspect of a mystery. Then the int-lligent native made other calls, generally to his own profit, when at last he was detected in appropriating a hed quilt belonging to some one else. Unfortunately he managed to get sway without bein brought before his "futher and mother," as the local official is styled. This man called himself an enquirer, but alas! his enquiries were strictly for the goods that perish.
The Weather is again very dry, and we have plenty of dust but no snow. In some parts of the province there is consivlerable scarcity, but erdly famine. Tv your issue for' 10th December you publish a Transhition of the Petition xent to the Governor by the Tohkoht'uir Magistrate, with reference to the Catholics. ' his petition ie nut a fabrics tion of the Shanghai native Press. [t was undoubtedly sent to our Governor, was pith-lished in the Shansi Gazette, and' was met by an erdert" the T'okkoht'oh Magistrate to} act firml; to urrest all criminals, and liatury proclamation on the part etwor. I think your corre-pos 1 error in supposing thut it 8 spreinily malicious dart throwa the foreigners generally. Without by any means enduising all thet the Mf said in his petition, there is no' doubt that there is considerable friction between the Catholics and their hi hours throughout xi' thet d Diame until the whole has been thoro gene into, but it mus not be forgotten that this trouble is the inevitable. consequence of the gross cruelties perpetrated in 1900 in Shansi. The native Christians are in many casa embittered and restless, and are also well aware that another tura of tie wheel migh: mean further persecition. The foreign missionary, priest or preacher, can only hold in his floes by mora! suasion, and in some places this seems well nigh impossible. If wissio:: adair are allowed to drift in Shansi_as the: drifted throughout 19.2, there will evitably be
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.