Gathering: Transferred to Peking From Our Own Correspondent, Chinkiang, Oct. 30.
Mr. E. Alabaster who for some time past has held the position as Commissioner of Customs at this port has been transferred to Peking. During the tenure of his office here, he showed himself to be a man who interested himself in all concerns that meant advancement for the port. As a member of the community he did his best to help others.
Ais evidence of the esteem in which he was held, there was a large gathering at. the station to bid him farewell. Several Chinese officials and a large proportion of the foreign community of the port were there to do him honour. His successor in office is Mr. C. N. Holwill who has just returned from home leave.
The long spell of dry weather which has caused the fields to be baked hard has at last broken. Last night there was a thunderstorm, accompanied bya heavy downpour -of rain, so now the farmers will be able to plough their fields and sow their wheat.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.