Shipping people are reported be-much incensed at permission given by the Consular authorities to Chiang Kaisshek for his: men search all shipping at Kilometre 10, The excuse given for this search is, that the Cantonese have to take every precaution against the, importation of arms and ammunition and general contraband of war. Actually it seems to be but another: instance of the Cantonese fiendish delight in annoying the foreigner in every possible way. The searches thas carried out are perfunctory and irritating in the extreme. On one British vessel a few soldiers came on board to conduct the search without even an officer. "Asked where their officer was they replied that he was asleep and had given orders that hig men were to carry out the catching and were-not to disturb him unless anything wrong -was found on any of the ships. Another vessel, also British, was held up for three hours while waiting for the searchers to come on board.
Feeling is ranning high on this rject anion the merchants, They point out that by allowing Chiang Kal-shek's men to search foreign ships in this manner a most danger-cus precedent is being established and one which there is now no logical reason for denying to Marshal Sun Chuan-fang. They point out further that Marshal Sun in all his dealings: has shown every courtesy to shipping, unlike the Cantonese, and they talk to see why Chiang Kai-shek should not do the same. Furthermore, if there any genuine desire to search ships, there was nothing to prevent this being done by a Cantonese officer in the presence of the usual Customs search party. If Marshal Sun should care to demand that all foreign ships be searched by his men, shipping might be subjected to these delays at every port between Shanghai and Hankow.
Our informant states that the truth of the Nanchang affair has been established at Inst, and that Southern troops have never been within miles of the town. What appears to have happened was that geal troops mutinied and Marshal Sun sent up his own men to clean them up, which wag done with com parative ease.
The Southern Successes Very slowly foreigners in Hankow are coming round to the belief that the fighting qualities of tire Southern forees have been over-rated, and the same is being said among certain classes of Chinese. They point out that the Cantonese have never yet to meet any strong troops, and hat most of the towns that have fallen to them have done so by the means of treachery and greed, Whilst they are admittedly well equipped and well trained, there ig likely to be a different tale to tell when they come up against the forces of Marshal Sun, who, a8 any. foreign observer who has seen them willingly ad are smart and efficient troops, well trained and Wuchang is still holding out and shows mo signs of surrendering. the contrary all reports zo to show that the spirit of the defenders extremely high and the shortage of food is not so bad as Southern propaganda would have us believe. The general in charge of the defence appears to be a vigorous and able soldier, and under his guidance a uiumber of sorties have been mace from the city as a result of which bodies of Cantonese troops have suffered humiliating reverses and food supplies and animals have—been captured. The negotiations which were previously being conducted are now believed to have been delibera-rely prolonged by the defending commander in order to stall for ie. The Wuchang garrison confident that relief will come within the next week or 0, either from the North or from Sun Chusn-fang.
Few Southern soldiers are to. seen on the river banks below kow, and after a very few miles, none at all are to be seen,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.