Ashiho is rather a dull Chinese town with the usual Russian settlement round the railway station, which is about half a mile outside the gates. The Russians have insisted on the town being lighted at nights, but there is not more than enough light to show the darkness. A red light on the top of a lofty pole is the sign of public baths, which seemed to be the scene of much activity. The Russian droshky, with Chinese drivers, is apparently quite an institution there, but one wonders how they can make a living in such a locality. The town boasts a sugar factory, but owing to a bad beetroot season it was closed. A small community of Scotch missionaries is working there, and when they have got a new hospital and better premises, there is every prospect of greater growth in the work. The lady doctor, though only recently from home, and still in the first stages of learning the language, had over sixty patients waiting to see her, and the people seem more willing here than elsewhere to send for her in midwifery cases. As she is the only doctor, she has one day a week for men patients. The missionary premises are deplorable; if only some of the home committee could have enjoyed our quarters and heard the walls which enclose the compound falling down during the night, they would see the need for haste in building new ones. The girls’ school was being carried on under difficulties that would daunt any but the most resolute, but the workers are Scotch, and have learnt to laugh at difficulties. Less than two years ago one of the ladies was itinerating in the country, accompanied by a Biblewoman, when she was suddenly attacked by a party of mounted brigands. They treated her with considerable roughness, robbing not only her but also the Biblewoman and the carter of all that they considered worth stealing—money, watches, clothes, and food. Amongst other things they took her eiderdown—for this took place in the cold weather—but the Biblewoman had the happy inspiration to tell the robbers that it only contained feathers (which they utterly scorned), so they threw it away. They only left her _one cent_ in money (evidently they had a sense of humour), and decamped somewhat hurriedly on seeing a party of horsemen appear in the distance, whom they took for soldiers.