In so very many respects are the Chinese optimists—they would have to be to live in China to-day—that it is surprising to hear the view expressed by a well-known Cantonese merchant of Shanghai that ten years will have to elapse before the trade of Canton can hope to become normal again. The ravages perpetrate ed in the country which Canton serves as a port are, of course, enormous. Kuangtung itself is disrupted, Kuangsi driven into a state of anarchy, and the other bordering provinces thrown more or less into chaos first by their own contending armies and then by the ill-fated northern expeditionary force. It will take some time before anything like order can be restored. notwithstanding Chen Chiung-ming's ability to keep down the menace of hostile forces, but thereafter many 2 day will' probably have to elapse before the people pick up enough courage to till the fields and get about their normal commercial vocations. In the circumstances perhaps the peried of ten years is not so very excessive. Yet we must not lose sight of the marvellous recuperative powers of the people. A telegram to the "Sinwanpao" states that already as a result of the elimination of Cly. Sun. Kuangtung provincial bank notes have jumped from 56 to 63, a very welcome recovery indeed, and if this can take place in the course of probably not more than 24 hours there must be hope for very considerable improvement the moment that Dr. Sun's generals acknowledge final defeat and berake their unfortunate selves to other climes.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.