The writer recorded last week that a slight earthquake shock was felt locally. News came a few days later that the shock was sufficient to destroy two houses in the country. The owners saw that danger and ran outside to safety, except one waited until the walls were tottering. She was knocked down by falling debris, but escaped with slight injuries. The houses were old and in bad repair, and a very slight shaking was enough to overthrow them.
Dwellings of the poorer people in this district are built of mud, which is rammed in between two boards.
The space in between is about six feet long and two feet thick. Thus, houses are built of large blocks of lid mud. A house of this style, with attention, may stand for several hundreds of years. The roof and the eaves must be kept in good repair, otherwise rain gets inside the walls and renders them unsafe.
A few. days ago there was a severe thunderstorm, and a tree in the Sienyu district which was said to be 500 years old, was struck by lightning, It was a fine tree, more than 50 feet in height, and the villagers were greatly distressed, seeing in its destruction a bad omen. They therefore went to the village temple to enquire the cause of this misfortune. The priest told them that it was owing to a god who was out hunting at the time, when the boat in which he was travelling accidentally collided with the tree. The people on hearing this were more than ever alarmed, and are making arrangements to hold special worship to placate the god,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.