Excursions into Poetry with a Chinese Gentleman From Our Own Correspondent, Mienchow, Sze., Aug. 5.
Tam really on the road 100 li from Mienchow at a place called Anhsien, have been up to a favourite haunt called Shihtsuen, where the C, M. S. once had missionaries at wor ut our depieted ranks have necessitated withdrawal. We still do all we can, however. I have the luck of having a delightful companion, a Chinese who in addition to being a gentleman is also a Christian. Such trips as these are among the many compensations one gets out here. We have had plenty of experiences on the road. I do not include being wet through every day but one, because you expect that at this time of the year if you set out to walk. Certainly walking is the best way to enjoy the country as well as your companion.
One of our diversions' has been Chinese poetry, and what a delight. ful one! I wonder whether your readers would be interested to see the sort of thing we have been do-jing. A gem {at any rate in the Chinese) from Li Beh: "Beautiful in April grow the plum and peach, At the doors of Tientesin far as eye can reach, And the Tuanchang blossoms fair at morning be, But by night they're floating to the Eastern sea.
And the hinder waters hasten to the fore, Restless ever flewing from the days of yore; 'So new peoples' follow in their father's wake.
And their daily journey acros* the bridge they take.
Space will not allow me to pursue this subject, our friend the brigand demands his share of my ink. We were delayed one day through vain, and so had to put wp for our last night at Hsuenping, a market 20 Li from Shihvsuen. We found the place swept clean. A hundred odd of these I wretches had come down a few days before. The people of the inn where jwe slept had very few things left in their possession. One of their little daughters had been killed. and a {second wounded. Shihtsuen was quite quiet. On our way back we encountered a lot of soldiers who informed us they were, out to clean [the country of brigands, They belong, they said, to the division commanded by General Teng. We [wish them luck. but considering that another brigadier-general' (ex-brig-jand) is reported to be disbanding some of his troops they may find things a bit difficult Tue report on the finances of Hongkong for the year 1920 states that the nominal amount of coins in circulation on December 31, was $20,764,370 and the local circulation of notes.of the three Banks havi authorized issues was $37,439, The specie in reserve was $24,5: "00.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.