Aug. 2.
Troops in China are caused by a Dragon. This is one of the things that everybody knows. The Dragon hibernates during the winter; his long body spread under the earth and the veins under his scales ave the currents of fengshui which it is deadly to disturb. But the Dragon was the symbol of monarchy in the old days and the Dragon flag was to the Chinese soldier as sacred as the Romian Eagle to Cacsar's legions. Is there some occult connexion between the dethroned Dragon and the misfortunes of the Republic? Dragons are an ancient as well as a royal race and, presumably, view the phenomenon of "a mushroom Republic with badly concealed antipathy. However that may, be, it is certain that in recent years China has been afflicted why, floods to an abnormal extent.
Our correspondents tell us that all central Hunan—in the days of the monarchy one of China's richest provinces and, in times of famine, 'a granary of rice for the rest of the Empire—is one vast lake. In Hankow the water mark has reached 48 ft,, the highest point for thirty-five years, Kiukiang is under water and travellers to Kuling sail part of the way by, sampan and in their progress pass over bridges which in normal times they sail. under.
Tientsin is threatened by flood and the people there are clamouring for the authorities to adopt the desperate remedy of cutting the dykes which would mean flooding the fields of many small farmers to preserve the great city from disaster. High officials are proving their patriotism by. heading subscription lists. with thousands of taels which they,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.