By Ancarsavp Litrue, Lsokai presents the same contrast to Hokou that the Model Settlement doos to the Shanghai city; on crossing the railway bridge that now unites the two towns, one passes abruptly from filth and disorder into wide ined stroots lined with shade froos bungalows, one and tro th' pontoon whart—Galle with the same tropical air and vegetation, but a close steamy atmosphere due to its situation in narrow valley distant 265 miles from the soa, There are few or no Chinese in Laokai $3 s head to enter French
we landed, apparently no inhabitants.
tory) and, inthe siesta hour, in which The military are stationed on the right dank and have to ross the rushing river by ferry to come into Laokai; the piers of 8 high bridge, solid circular pillars of brick and stone were erected some years ago, but the idea of completing the bridge seems to have been abandoned. The chief buildings are the offices of the adnfnistration, @ spacious Custom-house with godowns attached, the offices of the Messageties Fluviales," the Post Office and the Hotel Fleury, where we put up, also a roomy military ''cercle" pleasantly situated on s bluff overlooking the river, and a bandstand in the central "square." Towards evening, after an enerendah listening toa military band, ble dejeuner at the hotel, we sat on we having happily arrived on band-day, and felt that in crossing the Namti we had re-entered civilisation; but we pitied the folk whose daties rel this depressing spot, with cupy them; no sports, no society, nowhere to go, hemmed in as they are by pathless jungle. There is the excite ment of the arrival of the "chaloupe" from Yenbay, 143 kilometres lower dowa (ninety miles) from May to October, i.e., during the season of the summer freshets, after which communication is confined to the tedious native the advent of the the position, but up to the time when the surrounding In} country shall have been cleared and brought under cultivation, hardly seems to offer any commercial future. I importance consists in its being the frontier station on the borders of Tonking and China and in its military depot which serves admirably to encourage the obstructive Chinese officials at the provincial capital to take 8 complacent view of French enterprises in their province.
We were fortunate in finding "chaloupe" of the Messageries Fiuviales making her slow way up. stream on the following day, and by her we forthwith took passage to Yenbay, a day's journey down river. The "chaloupe" turned out to bea small stern wheeler, heavily laden with cargo and crowded with "relief" soldiers, French and Annamite, very badly kept, extremely dirty, with one saloon on the upper deck and no accommodation for sleeping or washing. The crew, including captain and pilots, wore all Annamite the engineers Csntonese. Upon crossing the frontier and entering Laokai we had left China' behin hotel were all Annamite and apposred to us far below the Chinese in intelligence' and willingness to oblige. They mostly speak French; few Europeans in Tonking except the French employed in the sudministration, who are paid to Mara the Language, speaking Annamite. The language iteclf has a marked affinity with Cantonese, and anyone conversant with the latter should soon pick it up. The stonmor was leaving at 6 ala. and neither on the evening before or on th morning itself, could the hotel proprietor find coolies to take our luggage down to the boat, and but for the kindness of Me. Shrigardus, the Commissioner of the L. M. Customs, who brought his own Chinese across from Hok'ou for the parpose, we should have been in evil case.
Laokai is the administrative depot for the troops stationed along the river down to Yenbay, a distance of and our steamer, the Yount task on this trip of furnishing the different garrisons with their supplies for the coming quarter; these consisted mainly of cases of flour from France, packed in tin. El: The steamer swang round as we reached the diferent stations and La! her cargo on the bank, which was carried up by the soldiers, French and Annamite. The stations are little more than clearances in the jungle, and now that the Black Flags and pirates that formerly infested the river have allbeon happily suppressed, the troops have little to do; anything more monotonous and depressing than the life led in these lonely spots it is difficult ta conceive, and it is hardly to to be wondered at: that opium-smoking is commonly resorted to as a pastime and as. prophylactic against the prevailing malaria. Our fellow-passengers were mainly non-commissioned officers, either on short leave for visit to the capital (Hanoi), or else being invalided hom one of these frankly informed us that he smoked opium regularly and that only those who did so were immune from dysentery and the prevalent jungle fever.
We reached Yenbay shortly before sunset and went ashore to dine at the hotel, only breakfast being provided. on the steamer, on board of which passengers cannot p s: the night. Wo wore again fortunate in finding connecting steamer in port, leaving in the morning for Hanoi ani by paying $4 extra for a erbin (we had already paid $55 each for our passage tickets) were enabled to sleep on board and so be ready for the early start in the morning. This "chaloupe", the "Chobdo" was largo stornwhooler that rans all the year round between Yenbay, the winter head of navigation, and Hanoi, 115 miles; better found than the wretched and with ample sccommodation and conveniences, equally Annamite and her engineers Cintonese, but she carried in addition French' purser to whose civility we wore much indebted.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.