For over a year now tthe port city of Wuchow has been held by the Kuangtung forces, which has prevented the free traffic of motor launches up and down the river. This has been a constant source of irritation to the Kuangsi leaders who have resented this interruption and considered the holding of Wuchow by an outside province an infringement on their provincial rights.. frequent requests to hand the port back te a.uangs: have brought furth no re-spouse lrum Canton and the nettled A.uangsi leaders have nursed their grief in silence.
A few weeks ago after Shen Hung-ying bad assumed supreme control of the eastern half of the province and had received the assurance that the Yunnan soldiers would aid him in retaking the city, another request was sent to Canton, and a veiled threat made as to what might happen if the request was again unheeded. Canton's reply to this request was the hasty despatch of river gunboats and over 10,000 soldiers up the West river to. Wuchow to hold the port at any cost. Seving that negotiations were useless the Kuangsi soldiers began to move down stream ready for an avtaék on the city. Already to-day well arused forces are on the march towards Wuchow while gunboats have steamed down stream ready to ce-operate with the land forces, and try their fortunes against the southern soldiers. Fighting is expected to break out among the outposts in a day or so and as the Kuangsi men are marching from the north and west upon the city with forces that are increasing numerically every day we can expect to sce a determined onslaught.
Since this letter was written Wuchow is reported to have been retaken from Canton, but the peucsal situation remains obscure—kd.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.