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as fleeing from Canton on account of the plague, and as these people were almost certain to have been in contact with the sick, it is most probable that some of them brought the disease into the Colony.

"The Overland Friend of China of 23rd May, 1850, conta'ns the

following:-

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"The city of Canton, and the neighbouring towns and villages are afflicted by a malignant fever. It is commonly called Typhus; some Europeans-physicians are of opinion that it is akin to the yellow fever of the West "Indies; others think that it resembles the plague which "desolated London two centuries ago. The disease is "said to be fatal invariably, its victims linger three or "four days, though in some instances they have died in “'twelve hours. More than one European doctor cheer- "fully offer their services,--but the Chinese are obstinate "in their adherence to old custom-old ignorant quackery. "The distemper has not made its appearance at the "Factories, and as it may arise from a want of cleanliness among the people, we are in hopes that it will not "extend to Europeans.'

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The following remarks by A. P. HAPPER, Jr., in the Imperial Maritime Customs' Annual Report, 1889, (dated 22nd February, 1890) are those of a most careful ob- server, although some of his statements as to the limitation of the disease are erron- eous-probably owing to a lack of knowledge of the literature upon the subject:-

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7.

"In spite of such a favourable climate Mêng-tzü (in Yunnan), in common "with other parts of Yunnan, has suffered annually for a period of years from the plague, (†), a kind of malignant fever, "fatal in a few days, having as one of its symptoms a hard swelling the neck, in the armpits, or in the groin, which has carried off "a number of its inhabitants. Indeed, the presence of fallow land "in the near neighbourhood of the city is attributed to the decima- tion of the farming population by the pest. On approach of the "epidemic, the first victims are rats, which fearless of human beings, "rush madly into their presence, and after capering around the room "fall dead at their feet. The next to suffer are cattle: the fatal "effect among them is equally as great. Surrounded by such "distressing signs, it is no wonder that inhabitants of hamlets often "desert their houses and belongings en masse, to seek immunity on the mountain side; for a curious fact about the disease is, that it never descends to places under 1,200 ft. of altitude above the sea, "and it rarely scales heights over 7,200 ft. high. Strangely enough "also, it seldom attacks people sojourning in Yunnan from other "provinces, its victims being confined to the aborigines and to "native-born Chinese. This disease certainly offers an interesting "field for the study of western medical science, and the physician "who will find a specific against its ravages will be hailed as the "deliverer of Yunnan, so helpless are the native practitioners in "treating it."

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The question of the infection of rats, previous to the epidemic being noticed in human beings, has been made too much of, as have several other points in con- nection with plague. It is only natural that as rats have their snouts about an inch above the floors of houses they are much more liable to inspire plague-infected dust than people who have their mouths at least two feet higher. Inoculation too is easy. It must be remembered that rats usually die two or three days after inoculation; therefore the statement that the deaths of rats generally precede an epidemic- -although generally true-is only dependant on the fact that rats and other small animals are peculiarly liable to be infected, and have a very short incubation period of the disease. Their habits and residence also conduce to their early affection after the disease has been introduced.

Many points have yet to be cleared up scientifically, as for instance the in- fection of pigs and cattle. It has been stated that these animals suffer from the same disease, but it would be better, by our later experience, to prove that it is definitely plague. I regret that after the hurry of the late epidemic our stock of plague bacilli has disappearel, but it is to be hoped that an opportunity for eluci