Fnow Ovk. Own Connesponcenr, Mienchow, Sze., Aug. 3.
I am writing from Chongkiang, a city about 40 miles south of Mienchow. The road between these two cities is quite undisturbed, Chongkiang "seems to have been Tue affected by the storm; this is largely accounted for by the fact that middle and higher grade education is net developed. Toro is a very large number of schools but they are mostly of the old style, as many as three or four being found en quite small streets. Government education is in a p2or way, even higher primary work being at a low ebb. The merchant class, therefore, are the only prople who are at all informed ax to conside happenings, and they of course do not speechify. There has been ro speechmaking; and +0 there is no trouble, To us in these quiet retreats it a matter for profound regret that we shodd have to contem+ plate the possibility of leaving because of outside complications which reach us in the shape of Giserdered finance, inability to. sell cheques, ete met because local people are arwiliing to buy, but because they cannot negotiate' them further if they do. Economic conditions are now easier rice has kone down more than half a dollar in the last mouthy and we hope it will still further decrease as it still a lot above normal. interesting to notice what value is now set on the small holed ench up here, Two of these coins exchange for a 10 cash piece.
Rice at the Inst market here was 10,000 cash a tou; but if you had paid in small cash the vendor world have been content with 2,000. A cup of tea when I first conte to China 21 years ago fetched three yr four cash, it new can be bought for ix of these or 30 if in lage cash pieces. A basin of rice in those days cost 12 small cash; it now costs 60 or 60 (tong ven), or 10 or 12 small. The fact that when viewed from the point of view of the old cash prices seem to be much the same is not to be trusted however. Small cash are very rare, and the market {8 flooded with 20, 60, 100 and 200 cash picces. It'is very necessary to exercise care in receiving the Inrger denominations as many are false.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.