Li Hsing followed his victory by coming to the city, and. being received by the people in dead silence. He assumed office, tried to el Nanking to confirm' his appointment, out "falling declared imselt chair man of the provincial government. Placards began to appear on ths walls of the city against him, on-piece of verse alluding to his advent governor in the 18th year of te Republic when there were 18 rings the dollar (the Szechuan dolist had 18 rings on the reverse) ant his name meant 18 sons. Curiously enough this complication with number 18 seems to have influenced the life of Li Hsing, for on the, ith day of his assumption of Governorship he was forced to fee the city. On that day General Mas Kuangehsiang, one of the late Gen-feral Chow's officers, and, in fact, hig brother-in-law, appeared neat the city at the head of his troops. At daylight the morning after hear ing this sad news Li Hsing stoat not upon the order of his goint. ut went, Mao Kuang-hsiang, also a Tungtoe man, ook the city without any dim culty, and remained as Govern for about three years. He built the would-be "palace" in which the witha number of other places. It is foreign style in appearance, Dut the design and workmanship are both—well, what would be expectes this distant place. The Moor the Generalissimo and Madame Chiang secupy is partitioned into cubicles sorts, the wooden partitions Feaching about nine feet only. The windows are of coloured: glass kent in place with nails, and the doors are supposed to slide on wheels. 'They never slide. They have coaxed along; they jamb, and they rigidly fix themselves half open, and man-power can move them not.' And they stay all the night while the cold winds of Heaven sweep round the large room, over the cubicles, and nto and out of every crack and cranny, till life becomes unbearable. Here, over 3,000 ft. up, the weather has been frigid and damp, and shill unpleasant, but the Generalissimo and Madame' contrived a sort of tent of heavy blue cotton cloth, and Jin this they camp in the middle of the room. There is coal in the province, but it is umpty per cent. sulphur, and it comes in to the market'on pony back in the form coke. Rat it is impossible.
Allg the rooms with choking fumes and turns any silver coins or objects black. Charcoal is also burned but it, too, adds to ghe discomfort without giving much warmth. Naturally colds are prevalent among the party, and lucky Is the one who gels over his trouble early for there is no doctor within 200 miles, and that is some distance in these parts.
Tried to Hold the City Mao, himself, enjoyed what he Lelieved to be his palace for some time, and he was lord of all he sur: veyed in a greater or less harmless: way till one fine day he received word from General Wang Chia-lich. then on the Hunan border, but also Tungtze native, that he desired 9 turn at the governorship. Mao no doubt saw writing on the wall for as General Wang moved into the Province Mag and his men moved out yet it must be said, he did try to hold the city for a while, or rather, cannonade among his _men did. The diapason of the
the hills probably caused them to believe the invaders were mors menacing than they probably were, for fear got into their fee, and they moved fast. Wang, flushed with victory, promptly took the Governnorship, end thought he was safe for 8 good spell of governing, but Miao and his men, no doubt' reflecting upon the noise of the thunder and the shouting and its effects, decided fo try it on Wang. They returned the city in due course, and with great clamour and shooting "and shouting from all the cones round about they managed to strike fear to the heart of Wang, and he, in turn, fed, tone pretentious place with a dome, bless you, stands above everything as the sign of the handiwork of the relative of an ambitious person who look the governorship but who could of hold it. This pile is now occupied by the postal people.
Of all the worthies who have contributed to the gradual spoliation of this province since the Republic, General Chow Si-cheng is the only tone who did anything lasting for He built hundreds of miles of hich-ways to the frontiers at the cardinal points of the compass, and they will by the end of October, it is hoped, be connected with highways' making {raffle possible' from the far-distant seaboard into each of the adjoining provinces,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.