Your correspondent, who for fifteen years has had the pleasure, of being your 's'ingkiangp'u correspondent, would make bow from this new centro, where a permanent missionary station has recently been opened. This city, a nice, quiet, old place of 170,000 or more population, is one of the three prefectural cities north of the Yangtze River. It is situated thirty li below Ts'inzkiangp'u and was fortunate enough to escape in the troublous times forty years ago when Yangchou was sacked by the Taip'ings on the south, and Ts'ngkiangp'a ws burnt by the Nienfei, or local banditti, on the north. The Ts'aotai, or Commissioner of Trans-Fad hie residence here. But after the ortation on the Grand Canal, formerly
Yellow River "went back to its old home" in Shantung, the Hotai, or River Commissioner, wae moved to Shantung, and the Ts'aotai moved to Ts'ingkiangp*a. This city is quite noted for its literary ability and as the residence of many retired and expectant officials. It is situated in a rich rice-growing country and the Sanyanghsien, the chief of the six hsiens in this prefecture, the of which is situated here, is considered The magistrate at the latter. pi over-worked, and his revenue from that poorer district is only about Tls. 10,000 fa year, Whereas the magistrate of Sanyang has little to do and has revenue of Tls. 40,000 a yea office of prefect hitherto has been one of little responsibility until the Huaian Custom House was transferred recently by Imperial decree toh control, Fortunately for the public it no longer as formerly given to a Manchu direct from Poking. So fat a sinecure has this Custom House been considered that ito one was allowed to have it longer than ton mouths. Its incumbent was aupposod to make enough in that time to retire on.
The Regular Examinations for Hsiuts'ni have recently been held in this city, closing about two weeks ago. During the examination, an unfortune assault occurred which resulted in the death of a student. An individual from Yencheng, who was accustomed to go surety for the students from that district, demanded the usual squeeze from a protege and was refused. An altercation ensued; the student was beaten by this son and his friends, and died from his wounds. His fellow-students and the family of the deceased made such a row about the matter that kd not be hushed up, so the person respunsihle for his death has been imprisoned and|® has lost his degree, and the chief assailant will probably be beheaded.
An Accident on the Grand Canal.
About a week ago a serious casualty occurred on one of the launch lines plying between Chinkiang and Tsting-Kiangp'n, A launch with over laden towboat was passing Shaopeh, just above Yaugehou, before daylight, bound for Chinkiang, when, in making a sharp turn, the towboat lurched and over hundred steerage passengers, travelling on the roof, were thrown into the water. Various estimates are given of the number of persons drowned; the number probably being from sixty to seventy. No one in the cabin suffered, except from a wetting. The verdict of a coroner's jury would probably be: " Overcrowding and reck-ess steering.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.