of death was pronounced in the manner already
described, and one of the three men was
executed. The tumult had been caused by an
oppressive demand on the part of government that
raised the price of money. The man executed
suffered in the neighbourhood of his own shop.
The other two were spared for a time, because
other riots were anticipated, and it was thought
advisable to hold the terrors of another execution
or two in reserve.

The leading news for us, next day, is the
arrival of a special messenger from Pekin, with
despatches for the local government. His
Majesty being about to celebrate his thirtieth
birthday, orders that there shall be special grand
examinations for literary honours during the next
six or ten months. The date of the messenger's
departure from Pekin is named, and it appears
that he occupied thirty-two days in posting to
Foo-chou, a distance of one thousand four
hundred miles, or three and a half times the
distance between London and Edinburgh.

On the day following there is the demise of
another historical empress to be celebrated, and
on this day, as occurs with many upon many days
during the month, somebody "begs to be
released from duty for a while, in consequence of
having caught cold." Three officers who have
been disgraced are summoned to appear for final
examination to-morrow. Also a private literary
examination for aspirants is announced as about
shortly to take place. To-morrow comes, and
the three officers appear. The Lieutenant-
Governor goes to the temple of a certain idol to
commemorate the birthday of its god.
Forthcoming official visits of the high officers to some
of the temples are announced. There returns
from Pekin, next day, an officer who had been
sent thither with important letters, and he is
entrusted to deliver to the Viceroy the Emperor's
autograph in the character "fuh" denoting
happiness, or his blessing. The loss of a town to
the rebels in this province is, at the same time,
reported.

Next day there is nothing but the usual
Court Circular, then follows a day of official
visits to Gods of Learning, War, Fire, Wind, &c.,
with announcement of approaching celebration
of the birthdays of two mandarins' ladies.

The Queen of Heaven was visited by the
Lieutenant-Governor on the twentieth of March, in
her own temple, and it was officially announced
that in eight days a marriage would take place
between the second son of my Lord Chung, and
a young lady, Miss E. The Lieutenant-Governor
paid his compliments on the twenty-first to the
God of Fire, and on the twenty-second visited
the God of War, after which he proceeded to
the Hall of Examination to examine the essays
handed in by several youthful competitors for
literary honours. Next day a captain reported
his return to the provincial capital with a strong
band of Canton troops, employed in putting
down some neighbouring bandits.

On the twenty-fourth of March the great
event was, that the Viceroy sent a despatch to
Pekin. On the twenty-fifth a paper handed in
by an aged citizen (name given) was announced
to be worthy of consideration; for which reason
it had been entrusted to four high officers who
were instructed instantly to act on its suggestion.
The high officers belonged to the military
and commissariat departments, so we may
conclude that the suggestions were of ways and
means for raising some of the money which these
branches of government are at their wits' end
to find. Announcement is made of the
approaching birthdays of a gentleman and lady
mandarin. The twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh
were days passed in compliment, a like day was
the twenty-eighth of March, when all the officials,
civil and military, called to congratulate the
lady of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor
upon her birthday. Two days of mere
court compliments then again follow, and on
the last day of March, at the end of our month's
file, the only special news we find is, that the
tribute bearers from Loo-choo who are now here,
have determined to start for Pekin on the
eighth of April." There is a small colony of
Loo-chooans in this city, and the Empress has
granted them a fine site for a cemetery in the
foreign settlement.

Such is the tenor of provincial news in China,
and the feeling of the Chinese public, in as far
as one of their provincial papers may be held to
represent it.

                 COUNTY GOSSIP.

For an unpleasant form of solitary confinement
there is nothing like a first-class
carriage on a railway, moving slowly through
a rural district, a couple of hours after the
Express has carried away all the cream of the
traffic. At least I thought so, one dull day this
last autumn, as I travelled by a stopping train,
fifty miles with a sprained ankle propped up
on an extempore couch of two walking-sticks
and the cushion of the opposite seat, feeling just
enough remains of pain to like to be talked to
without wanting to talk.

A station seemed to come every five minutes,
and I looked anxiously out for some
companionable face, but none appeared; the t
ravellers were under the category of "what
to avoid:" a curate with two chubby schoolboys
under his charge, and three townsmen, in
outrageous costumes, going out shooting, and
requiring a whole compartment for their traps.

However, at the Triangle Station, just where
the Great Cerberus line enters Greenshire,
transfixing it like a hare on a spit, a tall, apple-
cheeked, white-haired, active old man, in a
broad-brimmed hat, a loose overcoat, and
leather leggings, was waiting. He caught my
weary eye, and, guided by that freemasonry that
exists between the talker and the listener, passed
the parson and the shooters, took his seat beside
me, and lost no time, but began with—

"Lame, I see, sir. Gout?"

"No, sprained ankle."

"Ah! shooting, I suppose?"