To the Editor of the "Norra-Cumsa Daty News."
Sm,—I have just read the "N.-C. Daily News" number of the 14th inst. containing most alarming news from the North under the title "The Insurrection in South-West Chili." It would sem that this Chihli insurrection is a very serious one; graver even than that now taking place la Kuangsi, which is serious enough in all conscience. "The last battle was on the 9th inst. in the vicinity of Nankunghsien, Chichoufou prefecture, the insurgents in this battle, numbering' some 22,009 men, and Viceroy Yuan's troops, nearly 12,060 of all arms, The fight lasted over seven hours, The city of Nankuughsien, which had been taken by the Government troops. The captured by the insurgents, was then re-insurgents made a very brave and desperate stand, their trenches being choked with dead. and wounded before they would flee from the troops. The latter are now about to attack the insurgents of Kuangtsunghsien.""
And now the cause of such a serious outbreak, threatening' the Manchu dynasty and the peace of the Empire, is easy to find. Tt is, of course, again and' always the "arrogance of the Roman Catholic con-veris," who "now that they think that the tables have been turned, eagerly seck to get thole revenge on non-converts for the sufferings of 1900." Then, "whenever these revengeful converts happen to meet with more than their match" there are the Roman Catholic missionaries, always ready to back their converts even in defiance of the Gospel and regardless of the justice or injustice of the case; then the authorities, who earn the contempt of the populace by their cringing manners towards missionaries and converts.... and servile obedience in doing what they are toll to do." Then the French Legation, blindly countenancing the most unfounded claims ofthe mission: aries; and lastly the "bandit. soldiers" of Viceroy Yuan, so well known for his partiality to foreigners in general and missionaries in particular, sharply blaming, degrading or removing' from office any mandarin bold enough to " try to argue on the merits of a case" and not to "obey the missionaries" ete., ete. Well, all this great display of minute information has one drawback—it is utterly inaccurate.
(1) Nankunghsien was neither attacked nor captured by the insurgents. On the Mh it was the centre where the rebels had taken refuge, the fortified village of Chiencil near Kuangisunghsien which was taken by the troops after delays and parleys, which gave time to Ching Ting-ping and the Principal chiefs o escape, (2) The insurgents dispersed after little resistance. May the Kuangsi outbreak, though not so serious, meet with the same termination, (8) Catholic converts have nothing to do with these troubles. They are few in Kuangtsunghsien; in Weihsien, where the are more numerous, they so bravely detend-ed themselves in 1900, that the principal centres suffered but little, consequently the amount of indemnity claimed was low, and affairs were easily atd amicably settled with the heathen.
(4) The insurgents are not "the masses" but the rural militia, called "min tuan," which were organised during the Boxer North Chihli by the foreign armies, and troubles, enlarged daring the occupation of which, for a year at least, have been resisting the authorities and refusing to pay the usual taxes, under pretence that they are levied for the profit of foreigners. After much parley and many weiyuens, the mandarins had recourse to force two months ago, and burned down the vilege of Tung-of the culet of the resistance called Ching 5 tsunghsien, the native plac:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.