John' and the Counellor of Legation were both away at the sea). "he meeting was held in the Spanish Legation, and the subject under discussion was the situation at Canton, Where one of the usual revolutions Was im progress. I wanted the principal powers to send gunboats to protect our nationals. Lyons second-Pd my proposal, but nothing came of Our colleagues did not think that the situation was grave enough. This tude the meeting was over, he and noyed Lyons.
1 walked up Legation Street together, And crossed the bridge over the Jade Canal (which, in th: days had not Set been covered over). Lyons was dressed in white linen, with an old straw hat, and he carried a large umbrella as a precaution against the Wopieal summer showers, He was a tal lanky. man, but good looking. When we reached the middle of the Dridge he stopped suddenly and gave the "concrete parapet a resounding (hack. with his umbrella, exclaiming Yao Voice which could be heard for miler: onsider that the Diplomatic les:
Body tp Pes rhe. qualifications for ly in Peking are a herring-gutted their appointment and promotion in the career are all wrong. They ought fo enter the service as plenipotenflaries at the age of nineteen, and Work their way down to attaches at the age of fifty-five, Then perhaps a corporate body such as the one in Sering might show some initiative And some shreds of common sense."
Passing rickshaw-coolies slowed down to look at him. From the acacias on either side of the canal came the song of the cicadas, making the damp air vibrate as with the twang ofa jew's harp. Lyons paused ff he had something more to say, but thought better of it, and we walked on. o Slow"
Some years a visit to Peking was struck by the ago the reviewer somnolence of the place. The solid walls of Peking seemed to shut out all the noise of the busy outer world, and the troubles of such places as Shanghai seemed to penetrate the air in the shape of the faintest of echoes certainly not loud enough to reach the delicate ears of the diplomat. He wrote an article om the fact, pinning it on the Peking practice of raising bumps in the roads of the Legation Quarter to prevent motor car speeding, over each one of which was slung a board bearing the legend "Go slow." The article for some reason or other never saw print, but whatever disappointment the reviewer may have felt at the time, is more than made up for by the olowitig two verses from a poem by Mr. J.O.P. Bland—it Wewld be unfair to the book to publish mor "A Lullaby Far, far away, beyond your drowsy Axe haunts of toiling men, a bustling peace
world, of those who strive and struggle without peace.
By Sonn and stress of life all tossed and whirled.
mih ye, my weary They ones.
shall not mar our lotus-deys of rest, your
Their clamour mou and their shouting ers deep:
pass afar.
Jeep my pretty ones; sleep, my Weary ones—sleer.
Far, lot away, the great ships come swith hess is shouted through the anit. ea.
tireless street, Life trons "by day, by might og low, Moves, 17 the beat of drums, on sapid fect.
Fear not, oh "ary ones, Your The dust that lies beneath is lis are high, turies deep; No louder shall ye hear them than a sigh Sleep, my pretty ones; sleep, my weary ones—slecp.
There is an uneven quality about Signor Yares writing undoubtedly due to the fact that most of it is taken from his diaries and consequently reflects his own state of mind at the time the various entries were made, That it is a most entertaining book is the very least that can be said about it, but considering the tragic years that the world endured during Signor Varé's diploma tic career, it is a little astonishing that he should have chosen the title he did, for in them there was in fact very laugh about—little to R.T.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.