for Russia The following tragic little letter from an old lady in Russia is sent us by her nephew now living in Shanghai. The simple tale it tells carries more conviction of what Bolshevik rule has done for Russia than the most polished word painting.
3 April, 1921. Dear Peter, I received your letter the first for three years.... How many -young and old folk have died. Life is very bitter in our city for us all, All is dear: bread, salt, and meat 100,000 roubles per pood. One is compelled to reckon money in millions. Horses and cows—over 5,000,000 cash.
There has been no fodder. The number of cattle was reduced and only a few heads remain now. One pood of hay is 20,000 roubles and it is impossible to get it. Milk is 500 roubles for one glass. Butter, 15,000 roubles per Ib. Eggs, 10,000 ris. for 10. One is unable; describe all. The famine is complete. The people eat such food as before would have been of no use even for swine. Scarcely this can be found. There are various diseases caused by starvation. Tea and sugar are seen sometimes by a few people. The people drink various, sometimes harmful, substitutes. Dry carrot takes the place of tea and beetroot of sugar, but not everybody has them. Even potatoes are 20,000 roubles per pood. Oh, if it were possible for me to have some natural tea with sugar, and then, die! Sugar is 12,000 roubles per Ib. and cannot be found.
Your furniture was seized in "September. They used it for the orphanage. It is over 5,000,000 roubles at present rates.
Dear Peter, is it not possible to send me any tea and sugar? it would have been more than a million for me. I have sold my cow because of having no fodder. 1 have spent all money and furni. ture exchanging for products.
In my own house I live with strangers.
Your aunt, An Alligator Visit Shanghai In past years there have been many stories of porpoises and alligators having been seen iw the Huangpu River, evea as far as the Seven-mile reach, and though these stories have been taken generally by the public with "a grain of salt," they have frequently been confirmed by yachtsmen. Ow Thurs. day afternoon there was visible confirma. tion to shoreman that alligators can and do exist in that portion of the river that borders The Bund, for about four o'clock a wptile, whole species is said certain. ly to be that of an alligator, was discovered in tthe water off the foreshore opposite the Shanghai Club. It was put on board a sampan for removal, but it is to be hoped that it will eventual. ly find its way into the local museum, after autoposis. The alligator measured seme six feat in length, with a two-feet tail,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.