From Our Own Correspondent, Chinkiang, Feb. 5.
The beautiful spell of bright, wild weather we had been enjoying for several weeks turned on Wednesday morning to rain and by evening this had turned to snow and, with the high wind blowing, there was something approaching blizzard at the waterfront.
Next morning the ground was covered with a thick layer of snow but the sun came forth and a thaw soon set in. One result of the storm is that telegraphic—comtuunication—betiveen Chinkiang and Shanghai is broken.
A sad fatality occurred here last Thursday evening, the large public ferry boat (RE RINE MH) was coming across from Kuachow in an overcrowded condition, and the story goes that the captain left his helm to collect a New Year perquisite from his passengers.
The hi swerved round unexpectedly and_capsized and all on board were thrown into the water. There are various estimates given as to the number of the drowned, but so far 20 odd bodies have been washed ashore.
Of late, the launches plying be: tween here and Yangchow have been travelling in an overcrowded condition and it is by no means} comfortable for the passe.gers, Captain Stevens, late Hulkmaste of the Ewo hulk, passed away Jast month after a short illness.
Ir has been stated in the Chinese press and elsewhere that the 15th of the current month has been fixed as the date of publication of the Consortium documents. This report is entirely without foundation as no date has been set, says our Peking correspondent.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.