A Glimpse of Ancient Chinese History A lecture on Chinese history was given on Thursday in the hall of the Royal Asiatic Society by Dr. J. Darroch, 0.8.5. Cly. Parker presid ed. The lecturer dealt in an interesting manner with the rise and fall of the two ancient kingdoms, Wu, which is the modern Kiangsu, and Yueh, which is Chekiang. King Hoh Lu, who ruled in the State of Wu, founded the city of Soochow. He had for his adviser a refugee statesman from the State of Ts'u—now Hupeh. This man, Wu-yuen, was the beau ideal of the rigidly righteous and incorruptible Chinese statesman. He sought to raise his master and "adopted state to a position of commanding influence, not out-of an idea of disinterested'! patriotism but that he might in time induce the King he had chosen to serve to lead his armies against. his own native King and so revenge the death of his father, who had been slain by him.
The first war between Wu (Kiang-ssu) and Yueh (Chekiang) took place in 494 B.C., King Hoh Lu was killed in the fight and transmitted the vendetta to his son, Fweha. He duly avenged his father's. death and henceforth, the two countries ought with varying fortunes till Yueh finally extinguished the state of Wu in 472 B.C. While some_wrifers say that the King of Wu_ committed suicide, others assert that he fled with his wives and a host of followers over the eastern sea and ultimately landed in Japan, to which country he carried the civilization of China One of the most interesting characters in the narrative was the statesman Ts'u. Baffled in his aims by the weakness of the King and the treachery of his fellow ministers, he was ordered to commit suicide. He did so, only asking that his eyes should be taken out and placed over the eastern gate in Soochow, that he might see the hosts of Yueh (Chekiang), advancing to wreak their vengeanes 90 the false King who had betrayed him, One of the gates of Soochow is still called by his name and when the country folk around Hangchow see the tidal bore of the Tsientang river rushing'inland with its threatening roar, they say that the soul of Wu-yuen rides on the angry billows seeking vengeance on those whom he hated while alive.
There was a large audience, and the thanks of all present were cordially given to Dr. Darroch for his most interesting excursion into the remote past.
Tun Chinese Journalists Club has decided to publish a monthly journal to be known as the "Newspaper World." While primarily intended for newspaper people, the new magazine will contain articles of interest for everybody, written by local Chinese and foreign jour-rialists.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.