Changteh, July 19.
A correspondent kindly sends us the following extract from a private letter irom Changteh in northern Hunan, an important district from which direct authentic news is scarce.
General Feng has moved to Lik Conditions are fairly quiet here. as you probably already know, and the city is now controlled by the Southern troops. There is some apprehension lest.the numerous military leaders here—five at _present and more coming in their cagerness to fill the post of Pacification Commissioner, just vacated by General Feng, should quarrel among themselves for this honour. T have been told that thei have had more than one argument" already.
We have just been vi sited by severe floods, the first for several years, large tracts of land were inundated and the crops destroyed. The financial situation is bad and Tan Yen. is not improving matters by issuing provincial dollar notes in an attempt, presumably, to meet his military obligations. High sounding proclamations have been issued in the city stating that the good works initiated by General Feng would continue to be carried on:, opium smoking, gambling, licentiousness ete. were to prohibited. So far these proclamations have produced—_ nothing practical and we appear to be reverting to the old conditions. The soldiers are, for the most part, a sctagay, undisciplined lot and are themselves the worst offenders against public morality.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.