it is only wide enough for a single foot passenger. There are towers at each of the four gates, and these gates are double. The length of the wall is nearly a mile on each side.

The better class of houses in the city are built of brick; the poorer of mud; and nearly all are only one story, for it is not considered exactly the proper thing to build so high that one can overlook his neighbor's compound. A compound in the East is a piece of land of any size, used either for business or as a dwelling, enclosed in a wall, which may be of various heights. The roofs of the brick houses are usually covered with a superior quality of tile, and almost always are artistically ornamented with the heads and bodies of various animals; and these roofs and their ornamentations constitute quite a unique phase of Chinese architecture. Every year during the heavy rains a large number of these mud houses melt away into a mere heap of mud, and must be rebuilt.

The streets are very narrow, have no sidewalks and are never repaired. It is not unusual even in the city to find the track in which the carts move, worn down two or three feet below the level of the street; and outside of the city the author has seen a covered cart actually disappear from sight as it passed into the narrow channel, which they call a road, worn down by centuries of travel and never having been repaired. In Cheng Chow the business and travel are largely confined to the two main streets running from gate to gate, north and south, and east and west.

The Yamen is situated a short distance inside

the wall from the North gate. This is the official residence of the governor; and this residence serves for court-house, recorder's office, treasury, police headquarters, prison and fort; and is the place for the transaction of all official business connected with the city. The great rush of travel and of business in the city is from the Yamen south to the center of the city; then it swings to the right, down that main street and out through the West gate to the railroad.

The compound which Miss Leffingwell rented, and in which she died, and which is now occupied by the three young ladies of the mission-Misses Graves, Millican and Peterson-is situated on the main street, between the Yamen and the North gate. It consists of an inner and outer compound, separated by a wall in which is a gate. There are three brick buildings in the outer compound, all of which are one story, and are now occupied by the owners of the property and by the servants. The inner compound has three good, two-story brick houses, with rather a narrow court. Two of the buildings have been remodeled with European doors, windows and floors. These buildings are said to be about two hundred years old and look as if they would last another two hundred years.

In the outer compound and extending across its entire width of about forty feet is a platform, covered with a roof like the other buildings, open in front but closed on three sides by the two side walls and the partition wall of the compound. It is raised about three feet, is approached by suitable steps and is about eighteen feet wide. It was here

that Miss Leffingwell held almost continuous relig ious services nearly every day while she was superintending the repairs on the buildings.

The other compound in the city of Cheng Chow which the Free Methodist mission has purchased is situated nearer the center of the city, and on the main street leading from the Yamen to the railroad, about half way between the Yamen and the intersection of the two main streets of the city. It is only about five hundred feet from each of these two points, and is most conveniently located where the missionaries will be in touch with the crowds that are constantly moving along this "Yamen street," as it is called, and where property will certainly increase in value. This compound is larger and better than the other one, which we are only renting from year to year, and the buildings, though only one story, are better and not so ancient. The property has a frontage of about forty feet and is over two hundred feet deep. Like the other property, it also is divided into an outer and inner compound, which are separated by a wall. Communication between the two is had by means of a heavy gate, which may be barred on the inside. The building that faces on the street has been fitted over for a chapel, and the courts inside the compound are larger and more pleasant than in the other one where Miss Leffingwell died. There are also quite a number of trees in these courts of the new compound, which greatly add both to the general appearance of the property and to its desirability as a residence.

The city has the usual Pagoda. These tower

It

like structures are found all over China, and are considered a necessary fixture in every city. is very doubtful if many of the common people know their signification, only that they are relig ious in their nature. They serve as an outlet for whatever religious feeling may be seeking an outward expression. They vary in height according to the number of stories and roofs, which may be from three to thirteen, always, however, an odd number. Sometimes they are connected with a temple, but not always. The one in Cheng Chow is eleven stories high. It stands by itself and has a most desolate appearance.

The city, as well as the surrounding country, is not pleasant or agreeable as we regard things. The whole country is very sandy, and the streets are dirty and disagreeable. They occasionally have wind storms and then the sand sifts through every crack and crevice, and upon any person who goes out at such a time, all colors soon become one.

Most kinds of food, such as the natives use, are abundant and not high in price. Vegetables in season are plentiful; eggs at about two cents a dozen; a chicken for six cents, and other things in proportion; but meats must be used with caution on account of the uncertainty as to their condition. The water supply is very unsatisfactory, as is usu ally the case all over the East, and must always be boiled, and should be filtered, if possible, before being used.

Cheng Chow is destined to increase in population and to become, for many reasons, an important city; chiefly because it is the junction of the branch