I hav@ recently made considerable journeys' in several directions in this district and, on the whole, things are more peaceful than they have been for some time past, all the main roads being open and! comparatively safe for travel though incidents still occur, e.g. a mule caravan was robbed in one place two days before my arrival there, the plunder being some $50,- 000. More recently' a postal courier with outgoing mails was} held up and robbed, though some of the mail matter has been recovered; an order for stores sent from here was returned to us without cover. Happily, the order was not accompanied with money or cheque.
Still, apart from such occasional incidents, conditions are very much improved and already trade is looking ug in consequence.
My wanderings took me to the mountainous district of Lung An, some 100 miles N. W. of this city where famine conditions obtain. Many people are moving down to; the plain lands; others are trying! to eke out an existence on roots and bark of trees. Already a number of deaths from starvation are reported, and there seems little prospect of immediate improvement. The causes of the famine seem to be (1) a series of deficient harvests when supplies were eaten; up: (2) Last year was a very wet season and the crops in the hilly districts were a dead failure: (3) This was followed by a period of no rain from December to the end of March this year, so the spring crops are a failure: (4) A band of brigands infested the district last year and ate or carried off all the} foodstuffs and other goods they could Jay hands on.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.