Down at the riverside, where passing boats anchor, several jetty men made a big squeeze by compelling boatmen to pay heavily ere they could leave the anchorage. The new prefect heard about the illegal doings of the jetty men, and had 19 of them arrested. They are now ornamented with the order of the wooden collar, and have to promenade daily between the city and the riverside, a distance of 7 li. It is to be hoped that when the cangues are removed at the end of a month, they will be wiser men.
The Chinese New Year passed quietly, and with the exception of a few accidents caused by crackers and lighted incense, there were no incidents worth chronicling.
The river, with its falls above, but deep and wide enough at this point to be good-sized boats, explains why the city here. And now with its trunk line, there best nursing can now be had in the ' would seem reason to expect growth of population and importance. The rail-Toad station, with its sidings and enginehouse, has decidedly modern look. There is a repair shop in which a d natives turn the machines by hand.
We also can Boast of our two daily trains, either of which carries the traveller to Peking in half-a-day. Our Post-office does a business of some 300 silver dollars a month, and is on the increase. All of which gives us something of a "New China" feeling.
Our Foreign Population is at present unequally divided between the French and Americans. With Mr. Houlding's band of 19, we count 24. This large company of earnest missionaries has fallen heir to the place lately vacated by the Roman Catholic Mission, and is planning for a large work in the south of the province.
Education.
The offices seem to be in earnest about the proposed Government School, and are looking for__teachers of ability and experience. The location will no doubt be in the large Park inside the city, some of whose buildings have been badly wrecked by the soldiers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.