Lieut-Comdr. H. Spicer Simson arrived io Shanghai on Wednesday from Chungking, on passage home after having served on the Upper station for some years. It be remembered that he began the survey of the Upper Yangtze from Ichang to Changking Inst year, and that the work was interrupted by an order from the Admiralty, The reason why the order was given has not been disclosed; bat after some little delay word was sent to carry onthe work. Accordingly Lieut. Comdr. Simson, "ng.-Lieut, Black and the native staff resumed the work in December, and they have now carried it through successfully.
The party left Ichang on December 1, arrived at Kueichou and made the second start eight days later. For some time progress was slow owing to the tremendous obstacles that had to be overcome. It would be difficult for anyone who had not made the passage of the gorges to appreciate thoroughly the great hardships attending a work that consisted of running out continuous triangulations. In some places, parti-calorly at Wushan Gorge (about 65 miles abore Ichang), the river narrows between precipitous cliffs, which are practically unscalable. At such places the triangles had to be contracted from an average of about two miles to an knowledge that at places trackers cannot land; boats going up stream await a favourable wind and then take midstream course. With the surveying party, however, that practice could not be adopted. The work was at the riverside and the boats had to hug the rocks, while the current, with mighty force, sought to tear them from their flimsy fastenings, and huge whirlpools threatened to engulf them they bad done so many hundreds of the river craft before. Taking measurements at those places consisted of a series of mountaineering feats carried out with unswerving patience and courage. Again, at other places the towering cliffs' made it impossible to Jittve ata desired pint; consequently 1 large error occurred at one place and 1 considerable amount of calculation was necessary to eradicate it.
The monotony of the slow journey up the river was broken by meeting several partie of foreigners; the first consisted of Mr. and Mra. Sharples and Mr. Watson (Moears. Mackenzie Ca.) who bad been wrecked. They lost everything and narrowly escaped with their lives. The Washan Hsien gave every assistance in his power; he provided 10,000 cash and provisions and it was principally due to his kindly help that no more very serious inoonvenienoo was sustained.
After passing Wanhsien the country is. much more open and the survey party made comparatively rapid progress. With occasional delays, owing to exceptionally bad weather, an average speed of five miles day was made. Chungking was reached on June 1, and the party had a little holiday after their hard work. The total distance from Ichang to Changking was fixed about estimate the but the Surveyors were impressed with the conviction, held by many others, that the Chinese li is estimated more than actual distance 1B more by the actual than the ideal hour. The chart drawn gives an inch-wide drawing of the river with the high and low water lines, every high rock and the principal mountain peaks and bluffs shown. There was still some work to be done and the party came back over the old course taking astronomical observations at every town. This work was essential as it forms the base on which the chart is constructed, and it finishes a survey that is as complete ax is necessary under present conditions of navigation.
lieut, Black passed through last week on his way home and Lieut. Spicer Simson will follow on board the R.M.S. Empress of China. Permission has been given to the two officers to spend their foreign service leave in Canada, in consideration of the difficalt work they have jast completed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.