The Changsha we had known in the bad old days was a place where, whenever a foreigner appeared, the fiery cross wont round and all hands assembled for the fray. But now, no sooner has the steamer arrived, than the representatives of half a dozen yamens come on board to seo if there is any way in which their masters can be of service to the once depised foreigners. We were bound for the Wes-lean Mission, which occupies a handsome, roomy building on a fine street inside the little west gate. As we entered that gate, escorted by half-a-dozen soldiers through peerie, coming and going, we could not a double lino of apparently friendly help feeling our head to see if any trace of the knobs remained which had been placed upon it by soldiers and people in that very gateway, not ten years ago, in a vain attempt to enter Changsha. "They were as clean gone as appeared to be the policy which dictated such violent proceedings. But that danger still exists [was evident from -the strong guard of about twenty soldiers placed over the mission premises, and from the display of lethal weapons inside the door. Hanging on the wall was a set of blood-curdling implements the like of which we had never seen before. They were large iron, four-toed claws, mounted on wooden handles, the lightest blow from which would crack a skull, and take the piece with it. Evidently order was maintained in Chang-_sha by a new kind of "lex talions." The whole Exim'nation lasts a week, during which time the students enter and leave the hall thrice. Our first, business was to arrange for tha distribution—when would be the best
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.