some large spreading trees loaded with the largest and crimson blossoms i ever saw throwing even the gaudy into the shade but nothing can look very attractive here with the swamp in front and the behind where the is said to undisturbed we landed in the police boat at a approached by a ladder with few and slippery at the top there was a primitive of loose bars and the so rapidly and below that i was obliged to hold on to a china the district has recently been handed over to and is now under mr low s very capable administration the golden letter man in order to reach the safely to add to the natural of the some men killing a goat at the top of the ladder and its blood made the whole slippery the of the river are shining giving off under the burning sun there is a general smell of vegetable and fever one would suppose is from every of the and swamp in the of mr s house a number of forlorn looking are sitting each with his train of followers and in front of the police station a number of forlorn looking are sitting motionless hour after hour the chinese have a row of shops above the river bank and even on this shore they display some purpose and energy mrs and i are sitting in mr s side with the swamp below us she reads a dull novel i watch the dead life pen in hand and think how i can convey any impression of it to you the has gone shooting to our a boat now and then crosses from the p side a occasionally the group a fishing hawk now and then down upon a fish a policeman occasionally up the wretch in the cage and so the hours pass i take this up again as the dew falls and the sea takes on the colouring of a dying the returned with a good bag of and with a gentle timid looking man and another with an puzzled face took his place at a table a policeman with a brace of loaded standing behind him filed in one or two cases were tried and dismissed the witnesses trembling from head to foot and then the wretch from the cage was letter xvi a and stray brought in looking hardly human as from under his shaggy hair and which hung over his chest he cast frightened glances at the array before him he was charged with being a a had picked him up at sea in a boat of which he could give no account neither of himself so he is supposed to have been in the murder of mr and we are bringing him and his boat up to i wonder how many of the feelings which we call human exist in the lowest order of i it is certain that many of them only regard kindness as a confession of weakness the chinese seem specially inscrutable no one seems really to understand them even the said that they knew nearly nothing of them and their feelings this wretched criminal with his possible association with a brutal murder is a most piteous object on deck and comes between me and the enjoyment of this evening we re embarked late in the afternoon and with the flood tide in our favour have left behind it has impressed me as compared with of i cannot give any opinion but i have seen no signs of progress or life anywhere else the people of the state are harassed by which yield very little cost a great deal to collect repress industry and drive away population among such are taxes on individuals moving about the country up or down the rivers cutting wood or in boats heavy duties on certain kinds of produce and ad duties on all articles of import and not otherwise specially the costs of are enormous and the legal expenses to are as great as in where with the same money every advantage can be obtained the s the golden i on all legal are also oppressive the various are said to be in a state of with all this there is a good deal of display of military power on a small scale and of such implements as and together with marching and counter marching body guards and guards of honour there must surely be a want of the right kind of vigour in the administration and a on the part of some of the minor officials the result of which is that the great of the state are not developed and its resources seem very little known there has not been any disturbance in since and as neither the the nor the chinese have ever raised objections of any serious kind to the proposals of the british the far back state of things is very singular mr the of military police appears a thoroughly efficient man as sensible in his views of what would to the advancement of the state as he is conscientious and careful in all matters of detail which concern his rather complicated position he is a student of the people and of the country speaks and for a european seems to have a sympathetic understanding of the is studying the chinese and their language as well as the and of the country and is altogether i have formed a very high opinion of him and should rely on anything which he told me as a fact this is a great blessing for conflicting statements on every subject and the difficulty of which one comes probably nearest the truth are among the great woes of travelling i l b letter the xvii hotel l february in the evening we reached the a lovely group of small islands to england by the treaty and just now in the height of an the sun was low and 