Lungchow Kuangsi, Feb. 5.
A rather peculiar robbery of the mail took place recently. The rier taking the mails from Lungchow to Shuihau returned minus his mail pouch and reported meeting robbers who severely beat him and took his bag. The carrier making the return trip from Shuihan found the stolen bag by the roadside and brought it back. The mail had all been opened and money extracted, but the letters themselves were replaced within the pouch and and left where they could be found by the returning carrier.
The Kuangsi bank notes continue, to depreciate in value with a present vains. of six to one in buying them with Tonkin money. The publisher of these notes has evidently considered it not worth while to continue the printing of bills of $1 denomination so the only new notes appearing are $5 notes. Although the new issue has been in circulation less than half a year, there must be several million dollars worth in circulation at the present time. I have a note of the $5 de nomination in my possession at the present time, numbered 398,673. When it is remembered that this note is in circulation for the greater part only in this district it will be seen what a flood of paper money there in on the market. At times it is almost impossible to get the merchants to take the $5 note; they demand dollar bills in payment for purchases.
The dry spell has been broken and the weather has turned cooler. The light winter showers and coo] winds have begun. The river is still low, with bat a few inches of water at the numerous rapids. The motor boat service from Nanning is badly interfered with, the boats having to discharge their cargo into junks whic transport it the remaining distance, Te hotel business throughout the Far East appears to be in a flourishing condition. A neb profit of 75,636.66 pesos was made by the Manila Hotel during 1922. Hotel officials expect even greater profits this year, basing their ecutavans on the coming of tourists> well' for the overland route from Shanghai to Ichang.
Ichang is being enlivened these days by an instrumental band which belongs to Gen. Wang. The musie is passable and the band's appearance on the streets is a great attraction. They played themselves over to. the Chinese Chamber of Cumnterce a few days ago, followed by a huge crowd, and there provided the music at a feat given y the military to the merchants whom they were asking for $40,000. Whether the merchants rose to the occasion or not I have not yet heard.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.