Most of the decorations granted by the President are regarded as mere baubles, both because of the large number of their recipients and because of their being valueless or unproductive. In order therefore, to requite the military for the service they render, often at the peril of losing their lives, the President has ordered the creatic of another kind of medal, divided into five grades, which is called the "Medal of the Glorious Light" or the "Yungkuang Paosing." Only those who have seen active military service are eligible and even common soldiers are not precluded from this honour. The recipient of the first class Yungkuang Paosing will be entitled to enjoy an annual pension of $3,000 from the Government the second class, $2,000: the third class, $1,000; the fourth class, $500 and the fifth, 8250.
The Medicine Market.
Most of the products containing medicinal properties are found in Sichuan. Since the beginning of military operations in that province temporary suspension in the white wax, gentian, ete. The stock held in Shanghai was eagerly bought up, and orders for such goods were despatched to agents in Szechuan by telegraph, with @ request that consignments should be shipped to this port by every possible means. However, matters at Chungking soon mended, and the momentary inconvenience caused by the transportation of troops and military sup-Plies soon ceased. To the chagrin of buyers dvance, who fully expected the good market to continue for some time, large shipments of the goods they had ordered at enhanced prices encountered no difficulty in reaching this port, with the result that the market has weakened considerably; and instead of netting a huge profit, the majority have to face losses. As the money market Gs rather tight at present, many speculators find themselves unable to meet their obligations. The Chamber of Commerce has come forward to their rescue; but in order to avert any catastrophe in the future, the rule, that inland merchants ordering Szechuan goods in advance should pay bargain money suffi cient to cover any risk of deprecia tion in price before delivery, must be strictly followed in every instance.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.