Since my last letter, our new local official, a man of some ecxperience as magistrate, has made several trips into the country after robbers, and it would seem that his name is beginning to be feared among these gentry. Our former official was easy-going, but' now executions are common again. He, the official, enjoys a reputation for being thorough-going, and giving short shrift to disturbers of the peace. A member of the yamen, in private conversation, mentioned that the official's last charge was a district notorious for robber bands, but that after he had been there a few months travellers might go anywhere in his jurisdiction unmolested- Such drastic measures are not quite in accord with our Western ideals, but it would seem that some such measures are required here, and doubtless peace-loving Chinese citizens waste little sympathy upon those thus led out by a firing squad,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.