There has been a disturbance in the 'T'intai district of the prefecture: a clan fight between the villages of O-Fang and Wing-in. As usual both sides have been helped by neighbouring villages, and the number of combatants ran into four figures. There have been four deaths, and a considerable number of injuries, but this having been considered good enough for the present, they have talked peace, which will be kept. until the next plausible pretext for fight arises. district is far from being a sinecure, The people are rather fond of fighting aod are always ready to indulge their tastes in this direction and are more than master for the soldiers in their state of inefficiency. A case illustrai opened some years ago, came to my knowledge, and it may be worth giving. 'Tne district' of Sibyiang at the time this happened contained the best fighters in this district, who disdained fusing the sword and bow but preferred long iron or hardwood rods. A ruler, who had not long been in the neighbourhood and had not gauged the ti of the jo, attempted 10 raise tax.
he Sihyiang people determined to fight rather than pay, but their headman, scholar of considerable attainment and property, sent his \—lad of 15—to warn the otticial that the people could not pay. This led though young was "Budze" and pleaded their cause well. Being a scholar the official could not beat him, so turned him out of the yamen, He then went to a higher official to plead the case there, but here his pleading was equally ineffectual. Afver this th Ind was not soon again (it afterwards transpired that he had: been buried alive ditch by the yamen prison) and hi servant who was waiting outside became anxious and returned to the headman with the news that his grandson was murdered. The headman at once summoned all the fighting men of the district and went to the yamen, set it on fire, and killed the official's wife and family, the man himself wounded. After this they ly to their village and went ture; the beadman went to Hangchow to plead his case, but iting no hearing there he wont on to eking. In the meantime when the soldiers re sent to punish the men of the district, they: quietly dispersed messes and waited till the troops ired. After considerable delay the scholar at last got with the Emperor and ome so well that the Cun allowed that both scholar xnd official had about balanced their wrongs (the original tax which caused the trouble had no sanction from the throne), but said that in burying had offended against the ity, and orders would be sent 10 the i ins arm to burn a.certain proportion of houses in the village 80 as 10 "qualise things. On this the scholar returned quickly, "ud selecting the worst and most dilapidated houses, prepared them for burning, after haviog removed all the effects and having collected chips and straw in readiness he waited, and on the approach of the treeys quietly set fire to houses, which in number exceeded those required to be burnt by the Imperial Command. It was felt wisest by the local officials to leave the matter at this, as everyone's "face" had been saved, and e0° no more wns said abou' the tax.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.