Ichang, Dec. 24.
The military situation here seems to be clearing up a little, in that no move on the part of the Szechuan troops is reported. More than a month ago, it was known that they had driven the Northerners out of Shinan, and now the Szechuanese occupy all Shinan prefecture and a small part of the Ichang district. On the river the Northerners still hold Patung and up to Kuantoukou.
The Provost-Marshal who was appointed to control the administra tion of military law while there were so many soldiers in the place, has now been withdrawn.
The people of the town were very uneasy for some time after the looting of Itu, but they are now settling down. The merchants, however, are making plans to resist if there should be another attempt at looting this town, and they are building gates at the end of nearly every street both inside the city and in the suburbs, this, apparently, in the hope that future outbreaks may be localized.—Reuter.
An Agreement Signed, Peking, Dec. 31.
A telegram from Ichang reports that the two main points of the agreement signed on the it stant between representatives of Szechuan and Hupeh are that the Szechuanese shall withdraw completely from Hupeh and the Hupeh troops maintain their present posi-
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