To the Editor of the -*Norta-Cutna Dany News."
Sin,—The enclosed may be of interest to you. Is this not a charming country we are privileged to live in? The conduct of the Lung-Hai Railway is a perfect disgrace, and could hardly be worse managed were it left to the Chinese themselves.
I can claim to be an experienced traveller in China and have no hesitation in saying that matters with regard to Chinese soldiery are getting more and more serious every day. Sir, I could write pages and pages about the almost daily indignities we travellers have to sutler at the hands of these pests—Chinese soldiers—but what is the use? The worst of the whole thing is that accounts of assaults by soldiers on foreigners are treated with indifference (if not with scepticism) by all except the actual sufferers, and half] of the assaults and indignities experienced do not come to light for this very reason. Our own Government (if not all Foreign Governments) seem to be perfectly impotent these days and quite up-able to enforce their rights.
I shall be glad if you, Sir, or any of your readers, will answer the following questions (1) What is the exact number of Britons that have to be murdered ov assaulted before our pretty gunboats train (and fire, if necessary) their guns into the yamen of the Military Governor concerned?
(2) What are our costly gunboats out here for—to look pretty?
(3) Can any one with any brains at all deny that a Military Governor—knowing that foreign guns are trained on his yamen (endangering his concubines)—would not immediately make suitable (and prompt) reparation for wrongs suffered through the illegal acts of those in his pay?
Enough, Sir, I feel too disgusted to say any more. Thanking you for the space. and enclosing my card.
T am, ete., Granite Crty. Nanking, Jan. 26.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.