About a month ago Song Hong-yin's army crossed through the extreme southern end of this province, entering at the Kiangsi side, near Nuchen and passed through TIchang, Liwu, Lansan and Ngan-wha. From there it divided and one half went south and the other half west to Kueilin in Kuangsi. They cleaned up the country for a distance of from two to three li on each side of the road and took all they could lay their hands on and commandeered the men that could carry, to carry it away with them. Two thousand men were taken from Ichang county alone; some have not yet returned and many never will, for they died on the road. The local gentry raised $400 and sent a man to Lansan to provide road money for ihe return trip of those who could not get back. It is stated that still nearly 200 men from this county have not. yet returned, The writer has just recently covered the road between Ichang; and Liwu and tales of the ravages along this road were horrible. The army was estimated to be between 20,000 and 30,000 men, about half} of whom were armed. Bandits and brigandage seem to be on the increase everywhere in this part of the province. Reports have been received that the leaders of the bandits at Kiaho had come down from the hills and there were no bandits in that county, but that applies only to the city und its immediate vicinity, for the writer expected to cross from Liwu to Lansan and from there to Kiaho, but the roads were reported dangerous and one market town, just a few miles from Linwu, was robbed while we were at Linwn. Mr. Lawson, of the British-American Tobacco Ca., went from Kweiyang-chow to Kia and returned and reported no trouble and the road between Linwu and Kweiyangchow is open.
The strange thing about the whole southern district is that carriers are not molested. Hunan produce is pouring into Kuangtung ot@ Lienchow and the reason given is that two likin stations have been opened by the leader's of the tufei, at the instigation of the chamber of commerce at Lienchow, to collect taxes on all produce. They in turn guarantee safe passage for all carriers. One of the likin stations is at Dongbikwan and cne below Hsintsi, both in the Kuangtung province, one on the road that goes through Lansan and the cther on the main road from Linwu and that district through Hsintsi_ to Lienchow. Both of these stations! are making money and' so business in Lienchow is better than it has been for some time past.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.