Shortly after midnight the reskdjnts in the central part of the city were alarmed" atthe. spectacle Japanese soldiers dashing: about the streets with fixed bayonets "and Tnachine uns, shouting out orders In'the darkncas These operations were part of the machine-gun prac: Tice which the Japanese. "Legation fourd conducted inthe glacis on Sides. of the I>gation quarter. fentiguous. parts of. three. main thordbghares" and "seme smaller to. the manoeuvres the Japanese military authorities notified the Bureau of Public Safety of Chinese police were detailed to control the traffic during the period jof manoeuvres, which lasted until five o'clock this" morning. The manoeuvres aroused much criticism coming at this puncture as they did, and being held during the night, but the Japanese military authorities were Believed to take the attitude that it was necessary to carry ut the operations on the glacis and in the streets owing to the cramped nature of the Legation quarter.
In Japanese civilian circles it} was declared that the manoeuvres had no significance but it was admitted that they probably caused jsomp anxiety to pedestrians and foceupants of adjoining houses, not all of whom could have been aware of the real nature of what was happening.
The Japanese manoeuvres have] fippled the diplomatic calm of Peking. Although the Bureau of Pub-Safety had been given a brief warning of the intended operations, no intimation of them was convey: /ed to the other Legations who were' taken by surprise along with rest of the community.
The practice has been to infern the Senior Commandant when such operations are, proposed and while not obligatory' cone to be regarded as an unwritten rule of courtesy as well as commonsense. The Senior Commandant, however, had received no word last night that the Japanese military officials tended to carry out their mance! vres from the Legation quarter.
The choice of the locale for the operations dee the general criticism, as it was pointed out that the other guards limit themselves minor exercises on the gratis and otherwise proceed quitely through the city to some spot outside where their operations can be conducted without giving "alarm "to the populace." Emphasis "war also fai "on fact that Peking is at present most calm Jand. there is no shadow of trouble, which makes the choice of the pre:
Swatow, Aug. 8
"rin vaily tale of cholera cases jremanns" much about the same, fluctuating between ten and fifteen, Jand the authorities still seem quite satisfied that it should be 0; at least they show no signs of worry. Even the regulations, which "were, enforced more or less for a time, against the sale of cut fruit' in the streets, have been forgotten, Jand everywhere cut. pineapple—the \delicacy of the season—is to be geon on sale, Epidemics are reported also from many places inland, and requests are coming in for doctors treat the sick and inoculate the healthy.
Considerable excitement was caused some nights ago by the explosion of a bomb in one of the picture houses while the. perform an was going on. Several people were injured, mostly children, but none ing as to why and by whom There was of course a. pat awas "placed "there. for the doors, but wonderful ems to have suf The municipal middle school comedy still goes on and becomes Last term, when the none of the mayor's cone of the staff was stopgap. Now the mayor 'a new appointment, and has Canton, but the mayor's man, being onthe spot, has taken assession. But the students will neither of them, and want to they have, In the students of the pro~ commercial school, which new head appointed, re~ him, und demand ave anything' to do. with
cep thole ald head: One amusing feature ig how, in" hits vacation fine; when few' ofthe students are Swatow, manifests stil appear
es, Altowether the prospects ale" of ele ede for the new term in the two oficial fehools are not bright ent juncture for display more inexplicable, A formal protest to the Japanese Legation is considered unlikely, but generally felt that the incid-Jent ought not to be allowed to- pass without drawing the attention" of the Japanese military officials to the common danger, of such activities to the. entire foreign community, lowing to. the risk of their leading to an incident, especially when ried out at night. All the Legation [guards are jointly responsible for the safety of the quarter and it is felt that they are entitled to know when such manoeuvres are contemplated, instend of being set by the fears als in the present instance—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.