The position is very serious, genilamen, and in these troublesome days—when Government in this country is to all intents and purposes non-existent—and the oredit of China is rapidly being destroyed through mismanagement in all directions, every endeavour should be made by the merchant' classes, who have hitherto enjoyed a reputation for fair dealing second to none, to uphold and guard this reputation, thereby setting an example to those who by their incompetence and self-interestedness are rapidly bringing discredit on the people of this country as a whole.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.