Tt gives pleasure to report that the Hanyehping Ca. have onza more lighted up their furnace. It has been blazing away a week already and so far we hear of nothing untoward. Still we are thankful we live at Tayeh itself, which is some 20 miles inland, and not what is often regarded by foreigners as Tayeh. When an explosion occurs, if ever it does, it is the safer policy to keep at a distances. We hear the daily outyut of pig-iron is increasing by about 30 tons a day and it is expected that 450 tons a day will be obtained ere long. When this is the case, surely the days of borrowing and sorrowing will be over and the company will begin to make ends meet and a, little more. The outlay has been stupendous and the enterprise shown i8 commendable. It 1s to be hoped the shareholders soon will begin to see something more for their money than a garden city, however neat and modern.
The river hag lately been very low and remained so longer than usual. The rain of a few weeks ago has made the water rise, but the pilot of a cargo steamer said that 13 feet was all the water in the deepest channel that could be found. He had to lighten his vessel at Wuhu coming up and in going down he was taking a moderate cargo only, to leave him but a foot of water below his keel. There is evidently hardly any comparison between the volume of water tnat will be found in July and the Raucity of it seen now.
Everything has gone smoothly since the settlement which took place after the railway strike at Chinese New Year. The strikers got about one-tenth of what they asked for—enough to save their face—and are now feeling quite content.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.