Police Boat's Smart Work: One Boat Sunk, Another Taken ae From Our Own Correspondent, Wenchow, Che. Feb. 7.
A former residemb of Weachow, if returning to the port at the present time would, to judge by the increase in the number of steam craft trading there, at once say that a very considerable increase had taken place in the export trade of the district. One morning no. fewer than seven such craft were to be seen there, and on a recent trip outward the str. Hsin Fung met four steamers making for Wenchow. Of the seven vessels mentioned above three were Japanese, among them the Dai Shin Maru, the Ralph Moller flying the British flag, the Sing Li and the Kuang Hua, flying the Chinese flag, and a Chinese police boat, the Yung Ping, with 13 pirates on board who had been captured outside of Chinhai.
It seems that the Yung Ping after leaving that place saw four junks sailing away in: company under such suspicious circumstances as to justify a closer inspection and they were found to be im the possession of pirates, who, on the Yung Ping preparing for action, placed the crews about the bulwarks. The police boat then rammed and sank one of the junks, and captured another. Many of the pirates jumped overb®ard and two junks got away. The Yung Ping was under fire from the pirates and had a valuable compass badly damaged. She then made for Wenchow with the 13 captured pirates on board, who, an informant said, had the appearance of being opium smokers and the offscourings of the coast.
One explanation given of this increased steamer traffic is that so many junks were destroyed in last year's typhoon that steamer companies are finding an opportunity of getting some of the trade of the port. Recently the str. Henli came from Wuhu with 11,000 bags of rice to be sold at a somewhat cheaper rate than has been prevailing for some time.
TEMPLE FESTIVITIES, During the last three or four months a large amount of money has been expended by the Chinese in renovating the damaged temples of the city. Among them the very ier of the Sea has had some ular temple on the Hill of the
$5,000 or more spent on extending and beautifying it; much if not all of which has been given by a well known member of the Wu family living in the vicinity of the North Gate. This gentleman is also credited with a resuscitation of public worship in some the neighbouring Buddhist temples, and it is said that among the men who attend these public services are some who attend because it is expected of them, otherwise it might be reckoned offensive to the promoters. Part of these services consists of preaching
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.