The foreign community of Changsha is pleased to know that Dr, Barrie, of the M., is almost recovered from the effects of Ningpo varnish poison, Mr, A.D. Home, the local agent of the Chins Mutual Insurance Ca., is also recovering from a severe spell of sickness. Members of the various missionary societies have begun to leave for Kuling for their summer vacation and hence every day sees the number of foreign residents grow smaller.
The representatives of the Yale Mission are experiencing some difficulties in obtaining @ suitable piece of land upon which to erect the proposed college buildings, Ancestral graves eand auc tral greed for the foreigner's money constitute the main obstacles in the way of the Mission's progress.
The Various Steamship Companies which send steamers to this port are discrepancy between kept at this port and the hankow time kept by the steamers. The difference is almost a half-hour and as the Customs observe the local time it is half-past ten by the Hankow time when the Customs office opens in the morning. The shipping people rightly say that there is no good reason why the Changsha Customs should not keep the same time as Hankow. A half-hour is often very valuable to a shipping company and weight should be given to their complaint.
Considerable Commotion was caused on the afternoon of the 12th inst. when the native police entered the offices of Messrs. Butterfield and Swire, arrested the them all to ug number of native houses opposite the Customs compound by order of some Chinese officials. It happened that the lessee of one of the houses was the manager of a compradore shop and on turn to the house he began to rem the seal, which had been placed on the door by the police. He was seen removing the seal and a policeman went to arrest him, Seeing the policeman approaching he ran to evade arrest. After an exciting chase the fugitive dodged into the offices of Butterfield and Swire and was followed by the guardian of the peace. What tock place in the hong is hard to ascertain with accuracy as both have their version. It appears that and the policeman as to the rights of the a dispute took place between the agent
police in entering a foreign hong without apparently baffled and returned to the central station for reinforcements, Despite the fact that the Superinten-dont of Police, Mr. E. Kelly, is a British subject and has had long experience in the police force of Shanghai, a squad of police was sent to the hong to arrest the fugitive. The result was that the agent of Messrs. Butterfield and Swire, together with the office staff and the fugitive were led to the station by their queues. It is claimed by the police that one of their number war maltreated in the hong, and, on the other hand the employees of the hong claim that they were maltreated' by the police, but as to the truth of these allegations it difficult to di The Captain of the s. Shasi, seeing that he would be unable to get the necessary ship's papers when the agent and staff were in called on H. B. M. Consul and explained his case, with the result that all wore released. The s.s. Shasi failed to get on schedule, however, and was for eight hours. What action, if any, will be taken by Messrs. Butterfield Swire for the re-establishing of their agent's face in Changsha is not known, Thieves at Work.
The I. C. Post Ottice at this port was robbed some time ago to the amount of about $200, As the police wore making no progress in their search for the offenders, the foreigner who is in charge of the office took the matter in hand, and after a careful investigation, pointed out the parties whom he suspected very strongly. They were arrested and one confessed his share in the robbery and gave the names of his accomplices. They were all employed in and about the office. The Magistrate dealt out speedy punishment to the guilty and imprisoned the police oficial, who was responsible for that district. The money has not been recovered.
A light-fingered individual made his way into the office of the Harbour Master, Mr. Burton, and stole a magnetic watch from a drawer of hi desk. A policeman and several Customs coolies were near by at the time but they saw nothing. The watch has not been recovered. The native police of Changsha exhibit the same perseverance and fortitude in the carrying out of their superior's mandates as may be observed in a host of other Chinese cities, but after all is said there is more truth than poetry in the remark made by a tourist, who visited Changsha recently. On seeing two constables ro-clining against' a wall, he observed "to get intelligent results from a native police force it is essential that every individual policeman should have his thinking apparatus dephlegmated."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.