Both Fowchow and Changshow districts are free from the poppy this year. But reports say, that it is being grown to the South of Lan Chwan, on the Kueichow border. Opium smoking, however, throughout our district, is ''worse than in the olden days.'' This is what the Chinese say—and one can believe it. In the country towns, and even at wayside inns, opium dens are the order of the day. While in the city the Chinese estimate that from six to nine out of every ten smoke, Nine out of ten is probably much too high an estimate, but opium is certainly being made very freely, and is eating into the life of the people.
Keports from Lanchwan say that during the New Year holiday, 2 large band of robbers from the Kueichow border crossed the line into southern Szechuan, robbing the people, and -burning their houses. These bandits are said to be, deserters from the Kueichow troops.
Notice was recently given in the Hongkong Government Gazette of the proposal, to amend the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank ordinance of 1866 so as to give power to the corporation to increase its capital with the consent of the Governor to $50,000,000 and to increase the limit of its ordinary note issue from $15,- 000,000 to $20,000,000. the less sold: and still the vague answer are given in the British Parliament when questions are asked about the mui-tsai system in that great Port.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.