Nothing of a startling nature has marked the history of this part of Chekiang lately. A recrudescence of banditry may be noted, but as this was expected and is merely a return, after the summer's. slackness, to what have come to be regarded as normal conditions, Little attention is paid to it except by those particularly concerned. The forces of soldiers and water police assigned to the endless task of suppressing this obnoxious form of livelihood are supposed to be on the alert, and it is devoutly hoped, though with many misgivings, that they may effect greater results than their last season's campaigning did, The recruiting of soldiers for Nanking's armies has been going on for many weeks, but up to the present the number enrolled: is said fo fall far short of the number calculated upon. There is very little enthusiasm hereabouts for war or for army service, and among. the country people a goal deal of dise satisfaction has been expressed the demands of the recruiting offi cers and at the methods they have employed, A number of minor disturbances occasioned by soldiers ied in this city have been reported lately, the most serious one being con cerned with the post-office. A misunderstanding arising between a soldier and a postal clerk resulted in the soldier rushing off in great anger for his companions. He soon returned with tenor twelve of them, "and they proceeded maul and knock about the postal staff, two of whom they tied up and carried off. The postmaster then hurriedly communicated: the facts to the mayor, who interviewed the military commander, and after effected the release of Hthe two clerks, meanwhile the other post-office employees. struck work. A great deal of investigation "and negotiation was gone through, and in the end the soldiers were adjudged to be wholly in the wrong; several. of them wore sent to Hangchow for punishment, while the post-office staff was persuaded to resume duty.
One of the distressing signs of the times this autumn are the numerous bands of poverty-stricken People, the nan-min, found in large groups of families wandering over the country. They suddenly appear at some town or village and demand food; if it is not readily iven, they take it, While they cannot be classed as bandits, for they carry no weapons and are not enerully a menace to life, yet a tation by them is regarded as a calamity second only to the coming of a gang of robbers, A few days ago over four hundred of these people came to a town not far from here. They took possession of the 4th Primary School building, ousting: with great uproni and not a little violence the. te chers and pupils, and making them selves. perfectly at home. When they finally departed after several hours of occupancy of the building and after a great deal of persuade ing by the townspeople for whom a sum of money hurriedly collected formed the most important talking, point, the building was left in such a filthy condition that it could not used for school purposes until it should be thoroughly cleaned and fumigated; and at that the town thought it had come off well in the encounter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.