The cold weather is as usual bringing an increase of plague, but so far the increase though steady has not been so rapid as in other years. It soams a pity that Prof. Lustig's serum treatment of plague, which was being tested to some extent in Bombay a couple of years ago, has not been made to yield more full and conclusive evidence of its success or failure, for in spite of the most strictly carried out precautions the plague is evidently marching Southwards and Eastwards into the Madras Presidency. It has already made its ap) or two of the hill-stations and planting centres of Southern India, but so far, owing to the strict and prompt application of isolation, of thorough disinfection of promises and water-supply, not to any alarming extent. One is, however, full of apprehension as to the consequence if it once gets into the native State of Travancore with its teeming population, its very primitive channels of communica tion, and its scanty medical arrangements under an almost entirely native administration.
Travancore.
Against this there is the consoling fact that Travancore is one of the few States of India, if not the only one, where th population does not collect, to any groat extent, into centres of densely-packed villages and over-crowded towns, but prefers, especially as far as the agricultural class is concerned, to live in queer little isolated mud-walled houses roofed in with @ flat thatch of dry palm-leaves and completely hidden under the dense jade of the tall palm-trees which abound in this land of wonderful fertility and moisture. As one travels through the sloping plains of Travancore there is a wonderful attraction in the glimpses one catches every fow hundred yards of these primitive peaceful little homes where each family lives by itself, with perhaps a largo pumpkin creeping over half the roof and the great dim forest of palms crowding close up on all sides, ensuring complete privacy and isolation to each of these little islands of life, so completely engulfed in its bosom.
Madras, The heavy rain that had just burst upon Madras accompanied by a so-called tornado when last I wrote, did not vanish with the gale but settled into a steady downpour of about five inches one day and something over nine the next. This for Madras, especially at this time of the year is quite abnormal and caused a lot of inundations and damage. All the chie thoroughfares were under some inches t some fest of water for days. Carriages and carts had to plough their heavy way through these muddy waters while the inmates of the former tucked up their feot and watched with consternation the growing dampness of the bottom of their smart turn-outs. More than one I fancy regretted that horses could not pro tem. be converted into swans and carriages into boats, for such a romantic turn-out as that in which Lohengrin comes gliding up to the stage, would for once in way have been a more practical one in matter-of-fact and material-minded Madras.
Many heavy breaches wore made in the various railway limes. At some places whole stretches of the embankment The latest news about this Mission tells us that it has arrived at a place called Tuna, not far from a lake to the northeast of the Chumbi Valley. Hero it is entrenched within a walled enclosure at an altitude of about 15,000 ft. Some Chinese officials have made their appoarance at Tuna, but whether they are of sufficient importance and authority to be worth notice we have not been told. The cold must if course be intense, but we hear of no serious effects being experienced by the troops under Colonel Younghusband. General Macdonald, tis reported to have returned to Phari, about 15 miles froma Tuna and 9 miles from the Tan; were connecting sleepers left hanging festoons and shreds across the gaps. Even the telegraph poles were dislodged at places, and all communication stopped, to the great inconvenience and delay of everybody, and chiefly no doubt of the traffic department of the South Indian Railway, which has spared no energy or expense in repairing the damage as promptly as possible. For days, however, all passengers intending to travel South from Madras wore unable to proceed, and even now, though something like 3,000 coolies were put on, passengers, mails, and baggage have to'bo unloaded, taken across temporary ways, and ro-entrained.
The Cold Season is now in full swing, and every one has revived and put out " spurt of ener; Even in those towns of Southern India which are usually spoken of as "the frying-pan," "the Ere." and worse, people are now able to abandon punkahs for a short time, and to crowd in races, gymkhanas, and whole weeks of feverish gaiety and dissipation before once more the cool breezes die down, the be a good store of supplies in han surrounding villagers appear ito be friendly and willing to supply such provisions as are available locally. This is of groat importance, for the} difficultic Tying in large numbers; of yaks succumb: ort seem appalling." We re
ing in dozens to anthrax; of the bullocks having to be segregated owing to foot and mouth disease; of all the camels and all but three of the buffaloes being dead; and finally of large gangs of Nepalese transport coolies bolting. All this with a road that in places consists of nothing but broken and jagged rock or of solid ice that gives no foothold for the struggling transport animals. Yot the task of forwarding supplies has to be carried on in spite of all difficulties, and a gang of 1,000 Baltis, Ladakhis, and Gharwallis is taking the place of the obstreperous Nepalese coolies.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.