Attention has been called to the state of the afreets at Ch'sochoufa by petition from a business man there for permission to establish a ricsha company. Visitors to the city know how well paved the streets are compared with the thoroughfares in other places. Bat stone slabs, however well laid, persist in breaking their level, and the reply of the magistrate points to an effort in the near future to relay the streets $0 as to fit them for wheeled traffic. No amount of relaying will make it possible for ricshas, much less inges, to career up and down near the main street. This at least would require to be widened andthe sidocleared of booths and other obstructions. The series of arches which span the street and are the pride of the city will constrict the passage-way seriously. As it is, at busy times there is scarcely room for burden bearers to make their way through the press of foot passengers.
The North-German Lloyd Company are not to be left in undisputed posseasion of the coolie-carrying trade between Swatow and Siam, for which they have already paid three times over. News has come from Bangkok that Chinese merchants there are forming a steamer company with a capital of Tls. 3,000,000, of which half has been already subscribed, to acquire steamers and to put them in this ran,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.