Tbhé Moon's Eclipse and the Heavenly Dog From Our Own Corresponitent.
Changsha, Feb, 21, The New Year seems' to have been observed with considerable zest. Of course all shops were shut for some days. Dragon lanterns parading the streets and toy lantorne for the use of child-Yon were "even more. prominent than they have been for the past few years, 'The total eclipse of the moon came as a grand finale to the rehlao" (as we pronounce Giles's different from the mere bustle' Jo-nae") which means something. of the dictionary—it is the phrase for such a festivity as we have just been reading in the latest papers that have reached ug about the opening ceremonies of Friday of "No, 17 the Bund." Tt was a cloudless night and' the phenomenon—wi watched. by crowds: of Chinese. By ten o'clock, the "reh-lao" began." Gongs, tin trays, wooden boards and f know not what else wore being banged incessantly; almost as incessantly, fire crackers were exploding in all directions. At long intervals there would the a short pause ticular gong, wher ither the in the hammering at some parter was refreshing himself with drink of tea or was handing over his stick to another, From the flat roof of my house, the din wus enough to appel any "heaven. ly dog." I left my neighbours at it some time after the totality hid happened, i.e, about midnight—and being a good sleeper, T know not when the' noise ceased. But certainly for two hours, T detected nothing that could be-culled an abatement, of the urgency of the k strafing" of the Reavenly dog"—which, I suppose, not one Of the "'straffers"" feared any more than we boys, who used to swarm in the strocis on the "night of November, 8, feared the Pope of Rome with whom our "reh-lao" had some historic connexion.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.