August 22. 1904.,
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Here are five beetles on one blade of grass. eight white men and 100 black hops, and
One was organised by the German New Guinea The waters rise. There is no more room. Company. Although this company is not pros-puts off to try to swim to an adjoining stalk. where there are only three. But his arrival is pecting at the present time. it holds a licence from the German Government, which practically too much for the slender stalk, and all four are prohibits others from prospecting for gold. now in the water vainly trying to reach some terra firma. And so the waters rise, and the Many dangers and difficulties were encountered
more crowded become all the available refuges. by members of the Houngolf expendition in the hush. If the party made three Here are creatures driven from their holes, un- miles headway in a day in some places. accustomed to the light. but what can they do? And so the value of the collection increases it
considered WIS
very good progress. Attacks from natives were experienced many from a collector's point of view. Enough to It is the times, but fortunately no lives were lost. The the square yard for a whole case! navigation of the Merkham River was attended story of the Deluge acted in miniature.
besides the smaller life there are the suakes, by great risk. as the stream was full of rapids. which forced the party on many occasions to long green ones and browns of all sizes. How A make their way through the busli. Mr. Rodatz they swim and battle with the current. considered that there was gold to b› found in refuge at last! pockets, but it was very difficult to get at it. Speaking on other matters. Mr. Rodatz suid he afterwards settled down as a planter, and did pretty well, and he was now on his way to Europe. A large number of now
German
( settlers and planters had arrived in German New Guinea within the last month or two, as well as a number of English and Gerinan capitalists, who intended going in for planting.
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A FRESHET IN SOUTH CHINA. boiling?
close A freshet. Never seen a freshet at quarters? Well, let me describe one as we have All the them on the rivers in South China. rivers to the north of the great West River have a very rapid fall. but possibly none so great as the Cassia River. This is of the Cassia in spate.
Ask the steamer captains at Wuchow what they think of one of these freshets rushing મ little down upon them as they lie at anchor below the junction of the Cassia River with the West River. I will not attempt to reproduce the reply, Steam has to be got up at once, and a safe anchorage to be found above the area affected by the mad rush of the waters,
But now, in imagination, come up the river,
For a to see the freshet in its formation. typical one two days' steady rain are needed, and then on the third all will be in full flow.
At first the water will rise slowly, only gradually colouring the ordinarily transparent waters. But look around. Every mountain valley and depression has a silver streak winding down, a picture in the distance, a foaming torrent in reality. A thousand such are feeding the main The colour is now stream. Watch the waters. as the soil, and the surface is covered with the sweepings of the land. Look at the bank. Not inch by inch, but foot by foot. see the waters lap up and up.
Is it twenty feet or is it thirty Your memory fails to clearly recollect all that is now covered. But it has not finished yet. You therefore take careful note of the bank not yet submerged, so that if it should rise you will You reckon that it is have some reliable data.
But about twenty feet to the crest of the bank. can it ever reach that?
A.
Perhaps you now turu from contemplating the bank to look out on the stream again. you watch your interest grows. The sweepings of the country have given place now to much
It is now trees and not their more solid matter.
leaves that you see. Here is a lot of timber.
Here is what perhaps the remains of a raft. was once a flimsy house. and little row-bouts are being swept down as they are trying to gather in the flotsam and jetsani that will serve their owners in the place of kindling for many a rainy day. These boats will return when the water has subsided. for though the place where you anchored was of course slack water it is now a torrent.
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It's a boat. And so on comes
an unwelcome visitor in spite of hoathooks. poles and forks wielded by a frightened crew. Tho' thrown off they will try again and again. and in spite of all precautions some will get on board, of course only to meet a different fate to that from which they have been fleeing.
But now the crest of the bank is submerged. and the whole of the struggling creatures are The water swept off in the relentless waters. is now spreading over the country. But what Has it suddenly become so hot that it is No. But the effect to the eye is the same. The water is boiling, but not with steam bubbles. It is the air that was in the ground escaping as the water soaks into the land. But what a roar it makes us the thou and upon thousand bubbles burst, liberating the imprisoned air. Here are vegetables being uprooted and hown up by uprushing air. the water depens the boiling points will bee me fewer and fewer. But as they decrease in num begs they become more violent, until the land is studded with geysers, blowing up wafer two and three feet high. After some hours these will gradually subside, the ground being saturated
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The onlooker will now probably have had enough too, and will refire for the night. Next morning he will awake to find that he; has sunk possibly ten feet or more. And by the following day he will be wondering whether after all the waters did not rise fifty feet. aud they have not even then fully subsided.
And then you go du. The river glistens and sparkles, and all nature rejoices, apparently forgetful that there ever was such a disturbing thing as a freshet.
THE ANTI-CATHOLIC TROUBLE IN HUPEH.
A Hupeh despatch of 12th August says:- Many reports from prefects and magistrates are received here. but outsiders have many rumours. Some say the trouble at Enshih was caused by a quarrel between Catholics and Protestants, while the others say that certain The only thing prefects caused the trouble. known here is that three priests and seven converts were killed (the number of converts killed was reported as six, but this is wrong). All the anti-Catholic troubles have been negotiated through the French Consul-General at Shanghai, hitherto, but in this matter the French Consul at Hank" has taken it up to deal with as
do he was asked to
so by the Catholics. The French Consul is now in negotiations with Viceroy Chang Chihtung. and also asked the Viceroy to instruct the local authorities to settle the affair speedily. Fout or five days after the trouble had happened a French warship came up from Shanghai and went up to Ichang as the French Consul at Han. kow asked the French Consul-General at Shang- hai to send one. When the report of the trouble reached Wuchang, Sub-prefect Feng had been ordered to proceed to the spot to investigate the matter. The sub-prefect intended to order Magistrate Hsu to make a preliminary trial. but as Magistrate Hsu's experience was not enough Magistrate Yu was appointed in his stead.
he
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Now look at the bank again. What has happened? Where are all the marks you made a mental note of Gone. But we can't have risen twenty feet while we were looking out on the flood? Well perhaps not, but you can at
The Prefect of Shihnan, knowing least see over the top of the bank, which only
trouble was expected. took leave and returned a few hours ago overtopped the mast.
to his native home on the pretence of illness. forget the raging stream behind you and watch the bank in front attentively. A won- Sub-prefect Ho took charge of the Prefect's derful sight will reward you. It is swarming | duties. And on the 11th July the trouble had with life of all descriptions. All creatures seem arisen. Some say Sub-prefect Ho was foolish to have forgotten their natural enuities enough to take charge of the prefecture: how in the absorbing desire for self-preservation. ever, there is talk about the conduct of the
But now
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Prefect of Shihnan having tried to avoid the expected trouble with the pretence of illness, and the prefect will properly be dealt with. This is the reason why the profect is suspected of being concerned in the trouble. The Viceroy will certainly deal with the prefect properly. However. Sub-prefect Ho is considered to be too foolish not to have known what was expected to happen while he allowed the prefect to have leave of absence and while he was working all the time with the prefect before the trouble had happened.—Universal Gazette.
FUTURE OF COREA.
In Europe there are many countries, just as weak in comparison with their neighbours as Korea is, who preserve their independence by virtue of their positions as buffer states. Any attempt at encroachment by a neighbour on the West would be immediately resented by the geinhbour on the East. This is the position which Korea is in, and which she can, by wise government, maintain.
So we say to Korea. Awake! Reforms coming from within are infinitely preferable to those forced on a country from without. There is yet time. but none too much; Korea must not lose a moment in commencing to set her country in order. Money is the root of all evil, and once the finances and financial administration of this conntry were firmly established on a basis of probity and wisdom the regeneration of Korea wou'd be in sight.
Uncertainty, as to the taxation, is fatal to all enterprise. Once the people knew that the land was theirs so long as they continued to pay a certain fixed tax, and that nothing more would be demanded of them. improvements would commence n all directions. Any capital invested would be secure, and land, which has been lying fallow for lack of drainage and irrigation, would soon be made productive. Mines would be exploited and all commercial enterprise would receive a great stimulus.
All these improvements depend upon one thing-an incorrupt financial administration.— Kore Daily News.
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· INTELLIGENT ANTICIPATION "
IN JAPAN.
Some of the Japanese newspapers are deter- mined to be in time in announcing the news of the fall of Port Arthur, which they seem to regard as imminent. It appears that quite a extras announcing number of journals have the great event already printed, so that no time shall be lost when the news arrives. In conse-
occurred. A local vernacular journal.which had quence two or three amusing incidents have taken this method of being first in the field sent to an agent at Suma copies of the "extra all ready for distribution as soon as a telephone message was sent. Unhappily the agent mis- understood his instructions and began to de- liver the "extra" as soon as it arrived, which He discovered his on Sunday last. mistake before he had completed distribution- and then went round to the subscribers and
ment in order that it could be born again asked for the return of the premature announce, when the proper time came. A similar mishap occurred in Tokyo, where a newspaper had its agents supplied with an "extra" printed in red
Was
for distribution as soon as the news was received. and of course with the result that one agent. not understanding his instructions properly. distributed at once, many villa res in the neighbourhood of Tokyo being beflagged and decorated in consequencs. The result of all these preparations will be that when the news ac ually does arrive it will be received with some doubt until the publication of the official report sets the matter at rest.-Kobe Chronicle.
The report of Mr. J. C. Shengle, official assignee in bankruptcy of the estate of Mr. Barney Weill, as presented at the U. 8. Con- sulate at Shanghai on the 12th instant, showed the net amount available for distribution to be $3,500.38. Preference claims amounted to 8854.54, and the unpreferential claims to This allowed a final dividend of $12,906.54.
The report and arrangement 20.5 per cent. were sanctioned.