The Effect of a Part Payment of Wages: Disinclination for Further Fighting From Our Own Correspondent, Kanchow, Sept. 3.
The district may be reported quiet, but this I fear is just the lull ere the storm bursts. The city is full of troops, who may be said to be on their best behaviour, nothing very serious having hap-pacd lately. They were paid one month's wages a few days ago, but rumour says that the General in charge received the money to pay them five months wages, but only delivered one. We wish we could deny the fact, but I fear we cannot. Desertion is frequent and those who are caught get treated without mercy, while to get one's discharge is practically impossible.
None of the troops desire to go into Kuangtung; those who had to go in the spring got all they want for the yemalader of their days.
They have been just about to move on, for a good many weeks, but at present they seem just as far from going as ever, and from present indications, when they are forced to go, there will be a lot of going over_to the enemy if the chance occurs.
At present the city is full of them: they are everywhere. All schools are occupied and no one knows when they will remove, so as to allow of the schools being opened. It seems as if the fates were against education in this district these few years, first one trouble then another, until no one seems to have much. interest in whether the education goes-on or not. The powers that be report a great amount of troops en. route for this city, but I am told on creditable authority that this is all dust for the eyes of Kuangtungites. I fear, however, they will not so easily make the southern forces think as they desire them to.
It is reported here that Shen Fung-yin had another try on his own account and got driven back, This, if it is true, was without-any backing from his former allies, except that very questionable help which he received from the large numbers of Honan scrap troops who threw in their lot with him after they had sacked Nananfu, and were neither willing nor able to go north or south. There is a kind of stalemate hanging in the balance just now, and it is rumoured to-day that some of these troops may yet be needed down the river by reason of some annoyance in the neighbouring province on. our west.
Summer is about over and it has been a time of many deaths, soldiers and children being in the Majority. Some weeks ago coffins were hardly to. be had, and what were brought twice their usual price. Army sanitation leaves much to be desired,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.