Aug. 26.
Tue latest reports received from Kuangtung indicate that considerable progress has been made in the conversion of the province to a condition of law and order. When Mr. Hu Han-ming became Governor-General that province and his predecessor, Chan Kwing-ming, consented to return to Canton and take charce of military affairs, a regime of severe repression was anticipated. This expectation has been fulfilled, and, while Kuangtung has by no means settled all her difficulties or become a garden of peace, strong hands are evolving order out of chaos, "The one word that adequately describes the character of the rule that has case, the omens certainly appear to be favourable to the success of the scheme. Hsiangch'eng and Litang have fallen, and the extermination of other garrisons can only be a question of time. For it is to be feared that great faith cannot be placed in the agreement at Lhasa. At the time of Col. Younghusband's expedition, the necessity of dealing direct with the Dalai Lama, not with subordinate officials, was always emphasized in that ommissioner's reports, and there is no reason to suppose that the same necessity does not exist to-day. From every point of view the Chinese are in an extremely awkward position. Few people will be misled by the suggestion of British interference with the operations of the relief recently been in vogue is severity"' writes our correspondent. The plan adopted was to secure first the maintenance of order in the cities and then gradually to extend control to the outlying districts. Such a policy has led to considerable decentralization of authority, and while there can be no question that men and women have been ruthlessly executed in large numbers, the statement that junior officers exceeded their orders in many instances and that newly-appointed officials usurped authority, must be given credence in the circumstances.
But there can be no doubt that stern repression in high quarters encouraged young hot-heads to act in a manner which, in almost any other country, would have resulted in the most terrible re-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.