Jan. 11.
We would draw special attention to the letter that we publish to-day entitled "The Road to Disbandment.'' While the writer of it prefers to remain anonymous, we may without breach of confidence say that he is one whose position and experience enable him to speak with exceptional authority and demand for him more than passing notice. It may also further be permissible to quote from the covering letter which accompanies the one for publication. In it he says The position in China is worse to-day than it has ever been in promise of immediate trouble and too much energy is being dissipated in contemplation and discussion of reforms which are hopeless of fulfiiment so long as the problem of the army is not tack! I believe that Chinese opinion is so fed up that it is almost ready to accept foreign assistance in solving the problem. ly noteworthy in view of the The closing opinion is special-quarter whence it comes. There are of course, some who will strongly disagree, affirming that ithe Chinese Government, as whole, has never been less disposed to accept foreign assistance, which would involve certain conditions that it peculiarly dislikes, than it is to-day. On the other hand, there are good reasons for thinking that very many leading officials are becoming seriously alarmed of this monster of an army, which is rapidly outgrowing all their powers of control.
Let us for a moment, look back over but one week, that just expired, of our outport correspondence, to see what soldiers mean in China to-day. Two writers in Kuangsi, at Nanning and Kingyuan, speak of the prevailing terror of an attack from Canton. At Kingyuan there was a general flight of all the well-to-do. These fears were not realized but the writer ends significantly: -''With Yunnan opposed to the aspirations of the Kuangsi military party, this province is hemmed in on every side. This political unrest has caused a serious slump in business."' Our Kueiyang correspondent's letter speaks of Kueichow's dread of attack from Szechuan, also of danger from Hunan; and in particular, of the squabbles among officials over the raising of money for the troops. Wuchang, by every letter received for some weeks past, has but the one preoccupation Where is money to be got for the troops and what will happen if they do not get_it? At Wusueh on New Year's Eve the Trade Guild paid out a considerable sum to keep the soldiers quiet. ''It is pathetic,'' says our correspondent, ''to see the efforts of the people to buy the good will of the soldiers.'' He also adds a piece of comment which deserves to be remembered Individually many of these soldiers are decent enough but they get no pay. to speak of and either have to loot or starve.
At Chenchow, in Hunan, the merchants have lately had to pay up $10, C00 in silver, to save themselves from looting. Finally, Mr. Rodney Gilbert's account of the mutinous state of Tuchun. Tsao Kun's unpaid soldiery in Chihli, and the abortive outbreak at Yenchowfu in Shantung. And in connexion with what our correspondent ''X"' says above, these. words of Mr. Gilbert's may be quoted Nearly every Tuchun and every
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.