Nearly a score of murders have occured just across from Nanking on the main road north leading through the now tall reeds of the marsh Jand bordering the Yangtse. highway from north of the is constant ly full uring the past month a largo number ave been taking raw silk to sell in that city These have been shadowed by the robbers, most of whom are connected or in Jeazue with the} Hupeh boatmen who ferry the travellers across the river. As they have recrossed the river with their money the boatmen have informed the robbers. These rush out of the reeds, fire on the traveller. escape with his money. One or two have even been strangled in the boats while crossing and their dead bodies thrown into the river. For years the Hupeh boatmen have had a bad reputation for law-' Jessness. This has been the climax. The local officials acted for a time ax though ther.had been bribed. The Nanking authorities have begun activities and taken off sor al heads. One woman was stopped by a couple of the robb proved more muscular and active th: r first fell from a blow from her carrying I pole. The second started to draw his re-Folver and accidently shot himself in the leg. It did not ta 0 fee her long. to. finis [him, She gave herself up to the Nanking officials, who ave her a few light blows to, take away 2 py evil influences that accrue from life. and rewarded her with twenty taels. At last! reports the murders were still ocet:7i A Cause of Unrest.
In this city there has been 31 as large quantities of rice ha shipped to Nanking for higher price and the local rates have gone up. Good rice can no longer be obtained. The official put out a proclamation to stop the exporting, but as it still continued the people on ed that his own pocket has been a failure owing to heavy rains. Hence that article is also expensive and any are trying to break their habit.
Numbers have entered our foreign dis-pen sary for this purpose.
A Modest Beginuiny.
Last winter the official and city elders made @ great stir about opening a school of Western learning. They were going to appropriate a Buddhist temple and add to it. Three teachers were to be d and we foreigners were approached requesting us to teach English They finally decided to start more modestly and opened' a school with one teacher, Arithmetic was the only branch to be taught. Three scholars applied. The local authorities cannot be entirely blamed, as the rosine at the capital, Peking, has taken the heart out of the people and their plans for form.
Hopeful Indications.
The are secking for better things how-Reading rooms with all the Chine daily papers are being opened in the surrounding es, and a number are personally for the monthly magazines. janhien official has ordered 1 thousand. mulberry trees and secking to encourage the silk worm me dustry. He is one of the most advanced ficial in this part of China. His administration has been marvellously clean, Ho is a student of good government.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.