Although giving my usual address am still on a journey commenced jon June 15 further upcountry. Jatter six days at Chenyuan, we fieft for Tsunyi (where I now am), coming vid Lachuangping, 160 1 west, the actual head of the Yuan river, the latter not being naviga able at all above that place. Years ego when I first visited Lachuangping, it was a very busy city having an important river trade. with Huan vid Chenpuan. Now, this rade does not exist. I saw only jone boat and I was told that it is out of repair, But, as compared with Chenyuan, conditions are con= siderably better, for there is a large salt trade with Szechuan vid /Tsunyi and business men told me that they sometimes receive and send goods by way of Chunyankiang 70 1i away (on the main road from Kueiyang to Chenyuan) where occa sionally fleets of small boats under trong military escort go down and Jcome up the Tsingshui (Pure Water) river. This joins the Yuan river Jat Kienyanghsien in Hunan, some }60 1i above Hungkiang. In 1920 I went down this river on my way to Shanghai travelling by a small "Miao" boat i.e, boat owned and managed by Black Mino people, each toat having two men and a' boy for crew.
Some of the scenery is very beautiful and there are many thr' to be had negotiating the rapid loceasionally the front of one's boat has to be completely covered by the matting lest the water dash in Jand swamp the boat.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.