ROUND THE WORLD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2318, 4 August 1898, Page 39

ROUND THE WORLD.

[From Our Special Commisionek.]

Nagasaki (Japan), May 14.

Dear Pasquin, — To-day is my hist day in Japan T regret to say, for despite the really wet a,nd disappointing weather, I have enjoyed my stay much more than I originally anticipated. * What a place for gnls it is to be pure! Faney — no, a fact, — in Tokio there are no less than. 70,000 girls to win your adlniiation, if, as Tommy Hudson sings, " You're up to expectations." In fact there are streets and streets of them. Quite glittering and bewildering are they in their costly and pretty raiment, all perched in shop windows open for inspection ol the vulgar mob.

Yokohama is a great place, and so is the world-renowned No. 9. There are only 4000 foreigners in Yokohama, and this is the principal trouble from a. theatrical standpoint, scarcity of population, for the Japanese do not patronise the " gaff." I stayed in Yokohama exactly a week, and was sorry to have to depart. However, I am now on my way to China, Shanghai, where I expect to be till the latter end of the present month. After that I shall have to pass Manila, very near the war, so shall, in all probability, take on Java, which, though a " hot " country, is said to be a particularly good place for business. I expect to arrive at Java early in July, and get back to Colombo lor August.

Shanghai, May 20.

Safely arrived here and was delighted to get correspondence and papers galore. So quickly does time fly with me, that a whole inciilh has flown, and I " 'ardly know where I are." Since my last to you, I met Carl Heitz and party. They have safely returned from Japan, and have been playing here for the past 10 nights. In fact Hertz told me. they should be going southward to Java per this mail, but so good is business with tho clover conjurer here that he had to cancel his return Hongkong dates, and continues playing here another week.

The weather here for the pact week has been delightfully cool, vastly different from the south. I am really dreading my return to equatorial regions owing to the heat, which is intense. I am due to arrive at Singapore at the end of June.

Shanghai is a great city — that is, the European quarter; the Chinese town is of course awful : streets only 6ffc wide, and into which the sun never penetrates. Stench awful, and population, filth, and ignorance terrible — in fact China defies description. It is too unique and wonderful, whereat the population simply grovel and thrive — in filth!

Every town is surrounded by an antiquated military wall with peep-holes and guns of the past decade mounted along the top at short intervals. Every street has ponderous gates, which are shut and after nightfall are under military protection. Which reminds mo that the Chinese soldier is a ponderous affair and altogether a living laughable builesquo upon the sacred name. The great bulk of the population treat the European as a " foreign devil," whereat the children are scared at our appearance.

Truly China is a wonderful nation, but so far has not yet seen the light of day. This is an awful place for work. It is now 7.15 a.m. and I shall be at it until 1.30 a.m. tomorrow. This goes 021 daily — it's one of the cuises of doing "big" business. Regards to all iriends.— Yours truly,

JIBLET CrULLIVAN, ESQ