Apri Soar weeks have passed since any serious complaint was heard regarding the alleged deficiency lof the French Concession's deences, the guards at the gates, tine searching of Chinese and 30 forth, Occusional _grumblings fare audible, none the less; good deal of loose and ill-informed talk takes place and defence forces were not sufficient for all they had to do, they were lost in wild exaggeration and certainly there are none to-di There are in the French Concession nearly 3,000 Annamite and white troops beside police and volunteers. That is a big and costly effort for a country which has not too much money to spare. Furthermore, there can be no doubt that the French defence regularly to lunch together in order to discuss points of common interest and avoid the cir-office" of official correspondence. The practice seems to have been a good one and might, perhaps, be revived with advantage. But, after all, it is the gossip of us ordinary folk which needs attention, the highly-embroidered if not wholly' imaginary tales which pass from em of holding the bulk of|month to mouth, making public men in reserve vendy to bel opinion and creating an atmos-any danger point, is! phere frequently with the worst
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.