Hongkong, Feb. 17.
The second battalion of the Suffolk Regiment will embark on the transport Vasna and leave for Shanghai on Friday morning—Reuter, Ax has been done in all of the districts under the Cantonese rule, labour is being organized and the labourers are presenting their ridiculous demands in every line. Demonstrations are frequent, the agitators taking advantage of every opportunity to form processions, are distinctly anti-foreign.
In leaving their places, the refugees say, they were not forced to submit to some of the insults were those of Changsha and Hackow. No attempts were made to hold them up for transporting their baggage, while the servants remained loyal to their masters to the One refugee says that the British! Coneul in Ichang has left as well practically all employees of firms.
On the way down from Chungking to Ichang a week ago to-day, three Chinese officials entered the boat and tried to take it over. H.MLS. ity and mediately notified and sent a party to clear up the situation, While this was going on the naval officers ordered all the passengers of the beat to be ready at a moment's notice to come on board the man-of-war. Before the launch reached Hankow she was boarded a second time by the Chinese, but the officers succeeded in getting them off without a great deal of trouble, Vessel Fired On After leaving Chungking for Tehaey, tu the Vicinity of Baotong the vessel was fired on by a party jot soldiers from the left bank of the river, but none of the passengers were injured.
Another refugee on the Poyang tells of the looting of the atr. IChichuen, belonging to the Yangtze Rapids Steamship Company, Sunday, by Cantonese troops, There were rumours tiyat other foreign vessels had also been looted by: the treers during the course of their trips down the gorges.
Only About 150 Left in Province The second shipload of refugees to come down from. the threatened districts of Szechuan arrived in Shanghai on Monday evening on the CUS, Suiwo. This group wae the largest. to yet come into Shanghai there being 170 persons abroad, mostly British and Americans and most of them missionaries. On the boat there is accommodation for only j22 first-class passengers. The decks were a mass of people when the ship Jartived as well ae being piled: high around the hatches with luggage.
The refugees had little more to Jadd to the stories which have already boon brought down by those who were fortunate to. get out earlier, They say that up to the time they left there had not been any acts of violence towards foreigners. One distinct feature brought out by one fof them was the fact that the antiforeign feeling which was first brewed in. Hankow, had not: yot-had time to manifest itself in the further west districts, It was only a: few days before they left that the-Nationalist propagandists started their [work of organizing the Inbourers fand fomenting trouble in labour circles, However, the farther down the river the refugees came, the egal foreigner, more distinct became the feeling that the foreign' anti well to order their mationals.away [before the reigmiof terror struck.
Vessel Fired On One of the; emaller- Gorge Inuniches which -brought the refugees\down from Chungking and Tohang was subjected to fire by soldiers along the river banks, @ne bullet passed through the captain's jabin and narrowly missed one of the women passengers.
'While the passengers were "in Tchang, one of the-empty refugee boats going upstream to fetch more foreigners was boarded: by a crowd jof soldiers, who were evidently waiting to' get back into Szechuan. The vessel was of American registry and when the officers were unable to get the soldiers off, they called on assistance from the U.S.S, Eleano, which was lying in port. A detach: ment of 20 sailors were sent over, but the soldiers still refused—to budge from the ship, whereupon the nding party engaged in a freo-for-all with them, hurling bottles, tins Jand deck furniture at them, Still the Chinese refused to go, nor would they do so when the sailors pointed their guns at them. The Americans finally gave up and went back to the Eleano, The commanding officer Jordered the big guns to be levelled Jat the ship and threatened to shoot. Tt took only about 10 minutes for the ship to be entirely cleared of the soldiers. Similar instances such as these occur right along, one refugee told a "North-China Daily News" report Some Changing their Minds Among those on the boat was Dr. Jospeh Beech, heat of the West China Union University at Chengtu. The school, Dr. Beech said, had not been subjected to some of the atrocities as had other schools, notably the Yale-in-China at Chang: sha. Shortly after the Wanhsien incident about 30 radical agitators Jamong the students intimidated the others, and it was thought expedient to close down, Then when the present trouble came along the agita tors again got busy, but were not lable to get the entire student body to strike and present the usual absurd demands, 'They were finally successful, however, in intimidating. the servants, thus foreing a closure, There are probably not more than' 1150 foreigners left in all Szechuan, according to one missionary, and' most of these will be out within: a (Continued on page 267.)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.