Inquiries by two officials of: the" Nanking Government into the mysterious disappearance of Mx" John Thorburn, believed. to be sin, the hands of the Gainese: military" pre reported to have been: ordered;!
ascertained at H. M, Cone general on July 1, Mr. Aveling, the personal repre= sentative of H."M. Minister who: cently returned to Nanking,—wae" especially instructed to request Nanking to open an inquiry. into the mystery, and he. had an. inter view with Dx. C, T: Wang, Minister jot Foreign: Affairs, regarding. it: On: Saturday Mr. Aveling: was its formed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that one of its representa tives had already left for Soochow. to commence inquiries, and that has was to.be joined by a representative lof the Ministry: of War, It was also stated that no British representative would be allowed: to-ce-operate in the—investigations., These were to have commenced at the beginning. of the present week, out. s0 far no information has been, forthcoming as to what has beet.
Meanwhile an unauthenticated re-Port has been received that Mr. Thorburn has been removed. from Soochow. to. Shihtzushan ("Lion in"), in the Motu district of, the Taihu Lake, near Soochow. Me. Thorburn is supposed to have beett lace recently, in the custody." lof the Chinese. military police.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.