Shantung and Shansi-Kuli, but the manipulations of the Dzian Dziun have been carried out mainly at the expense of the Mongols by selling both new land and leased land to Chinese, who were already established in these districts. A large part of this land is said not to be populated, but only to be used during the summer by labourers who are sent there and who come away again for the winter. The comparatively hard winter is supposed to have had a considerable influence on the supply of settlers.
The area on both sides of the Hwang ho is described as very fertile, being watered by irrigation canals dug from the river. Hemp, jumi and tchumiza are grown there principally. The average crop is 7-8 tou per mou or, in other words, i o fold. — In the N the land is said to be much worse owing to a shortage of water. Jumi, tchumiza, millet and tchaumi are grown. Average crop 5-6 tou per mou or 5-6 fold.
Obviously, all this has caused great dissatisfaction among the Mongols. Several, whom I met, complained with an absence of reserve that was unusual for Mongols. They volunteered the statement that it would not have taken much to provoke a rising. Now, however, that danger was past. From the concentration of troops along the frontier of Ordos (Si-an-fu 2 tchi of matui to Yulin-fu, Tai-yuan-fu 2 matui to Lanchow) it is evident that the Chinese Government apprehended this. It was on the plea of serious disturbances among the Mongols that the Dzian Dziun obtained permission last year to execute one of the officials of the Djungar wang. This request, probably in conjunction with the revelations of dissatisfied, dismissed officials, induced the Governor to send an inspector. The result of this step and a petition to the Throne drawn up by the wangs of Ordos was that two highly placed officials were instructed by the Emperor to investigate the matter more thoroughly.
At present further settlement has ceased, at all events for the time being, the Dzian Dziun has been dismissed, all his property has been confiscated and orders have been given for his trial. His immediate assistants, whom he had rewarded generously, have been sentenced to more or less heavy punishment and have been replaced by officials whom he had dismissed previously. It is said that his transactions of the last few years must have provided him with at least 2 million taels.
A mile or two NE of Kweihwa ting you reach the Manchurian fortress. It lies embedded among shady trees growing on either side of the small ditch that surrounds the fortress. The wall, about 45 feet high, encloses a square space scarcely 2/3 of a mile along each side. The corners are provided with turret-like buildings with gun embrasures facing in two directions, i6 divided into two storeys on each side. Above the buttresses of the gates there are smaller ones with 12 embrasures facing outwards, also in two storeys. The other buttresses are small. At every other one there is a low clay building. The space within the wall is intersected by two broad streets kept in good condition. The buildings are small and neglected and there are a few poor shops. The inhabitants look poor. No flags waved in front of the yamen of the Dzian Dziun, situated approximately in the centre of the Manchurian town, although he was still living there. The Dzian Dziun »I» cannot be spending very enviable days in expectation of his sentence. He may, however, perhaps still have a ray of hope, and not without reason, for anyone in China, who has plenty of
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