For the first time, for a great many years, your correspondent a few weeks ago, travelled home by, the canal in perfect peace. From every one asked, the answer was all is "tai ping." - Wondering how this state of things had come about, on our return we asked, "Have the soldiers done this?" but the answer {was "No, it la the 'Small Gun Society.' We were told that in the old days there was the "Da Dao-huei'—-big knife society. This small gun society," like' them, professed to be invulnerable to gun and had banded themselves together to defend their homes. Though some have suffered from gun shot, the "'tufei" are afraid of them, and certain parts of the country are living in peace.
We have had a splendid harvest, Imaize, buckwheat, beans of every description, have been gathered in as the country people call it "shi er fen? 12 points. As 10 stands for perfect, this means a "bumper" harvest. Unfortunately prices have soared very high with little probability of ever coming down again, pork per pound is nearly 400 cash, and lard 600. Such prices have, never been heard of before in this" neighbourhood. Wheat is also very high, possibly because it is being bought and sent away from Sushien. To have prices like this just immediately after harvest, makes the people afraid.
There is a great deal of water in the Canal and the current very strong for this time of the year. We are still having very warm days but cold nights. The big drop in temperature in the evening seems to be causing a good deal of sickness. We hear on all sides this has been the hottest summer for many years.
When the local court! at Harbin ordered the burning of several bales of counterfeit money the cther day, there was little interest, says the "N. O. Star," as there has been so much of it in circulation, especially* of the cld Russian issues. But when there was added to the flames a lot of cocaine and hypodermic syringes, there was an increase in attention. Then when the cocaine was followed by quantities of opium, masquerading as chocolate, excitement spread, and the police had to threaten the crowd to keep it from being pushed into the flames.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.