Dee, 19th.—(1 and 2) Decrees appointing the newly-made Grand Secretary Pao-yun to the post of Controller-in-chief of the Board of Civil Office; Kwang-show fay 33 to succeed him as Manchu President of the Bourd of War, and Kw'ei-ling 9S} to succeed the latter as President of the Court of Censorate.
(3) The Governor of Nganhwei reports peculiarly horrifying case of. murder. The parties concerned belong to the district of Wu-hu, where they earned their livelihood in a small way, owning besides trifling area of land. The family consisted of the following persons, viz., Wu Pe'ai, a worthless, dissipated fellow; his father, Wu T'ing-fu; his wife, Wu she; and their son, Wu Kwang-yung. Frequent quarrels took place on the subject of money between Wu Ts'ai and his father and wife, one of which having occurred on the afternoon of the Uth September last, when ho endeavoured to get his wife's consent to the sale of a piece of ground, She refused, and he subsequently beat her until she gave him 160 cash, the woman, in her anger, exclaiming to her father-in-law and her son, aiter the husband had gone out, that they would all bbe ruined unieas they' put tala Fufian out of the way. Wu Ting-fu, himself reduced to despair, agreed that he should be put to death, and the woman then prepared a bag with some lime in it, heedless of the remonstrances of person." When Wu Ts'ai returned home at night in state of intoxication, he began again to abuse his wife, eud she thereupon summoned her father-in-law and her sun, who assisted in tying the victim's arms and legs. The b of lime was then slipped over his hea to smother him, and while the son hold his legs down, his father sat upon his head until all struggles were over and lifo was extinct. On the following day, Wu Ting-fu alleged to hour that the deceased had died during the night ina fit of into xi i duced him to assist in carrying interring the corpse. Information having reached the Magistrate, however, an inquest was held and the parties were made prisoners. On confession having been licited, the mother and son have been adjudged as buth subj penalty of the Inw, and they have been publicly sliced to death accordingly, with the usual form The father of th murdered man is liable according to statute to the penalty of 100 blows for his share in the crime, but being beyond the age of 70, he is entitled to commute this by a pecuniary mulct.
(4) The mi Amoor region report that a glore (member of the Imperial lineage) named Che-ch'éng, alias Che-kwang, originally borne on the rolls of the blue bauner ut Peking, but without specific employ, who was trans-jotted into penal servitude at the Amoor Ju 1862, after being implicated in eight different cases of theft and burglary, has now made his escape from custody. Since his transportation, he has already committed the same offence on five occasions; and having been imprisoned lately on a charge of concerted robbery, he managed to break out of jail on the 24th September and yet away. Reports have beet: sent concerning him to the Imperial Clan Court and the Board of Punishments.
Dec. 20th.—(1) A Decree ordaining that, by special grace, the Associate of the Court of Physicians, Li Teh-li, be awarded promotion to an appointment in the 3rd or 4th grade among the Government departments of the capital, and that a second profemor of the art of medicine, named whwang Show-ho, be similarly advanced to a grade one degree lower than the above. (N.B-—The two individuals above named are the physicians who have attended His Majesty during his attack of small-pox.)
(2) The joint-Governor of Feng-yien (Manchuria) memorializes reporting the appointment of an official to take charge of the post of Taotai at Newchwang, in consequence of the death of the late incumbent of the office, on the 21st October. The importance of the post is dwelt upon, from its connection with foreign affair and trade, as also the command of the foreign drilled force which pertains to it.
The remainder of the Gazette is occupied with memorials from Nganhwei, on the Governor handing over the seals of office to his successor.
Dec, 2ist.—The Governor of Kwang: in a voluminous memorial, reports the result of a judicial enquiry into the conduct of x brigadier-general named Chen 'Teh-Kwei, on sundry charges of wrongdoing in connection' with affairs on the Tonquin border. Some time ago a communication was revived by the Governor from the King of Anam, Yuan Fub-she GEiBAF by none, (his title of Sze Teh, or Tuduc, not being admitted into Chinese correspondence), complaining that the oticer i directly nyon them to grant free transit to certain foreign vessels conveying cargoes of arms; and further that he had sent a force to extort compensation, on account of a collision had taken place between some me: sengers of his and the " barbarian" inal tants of the Kin-ying district, whom he had therefore chosen to consider as robbers who had pillaged a treasure convoy. In June, 1873, the Governor received a rescript ordering' Chen Teh-Kwei to be stripped of his rank and broughttotrial, and this command has now been fulfilled. It appears that, having been stationed on the border of Tonquin in 1872 to guard the frontier against the barbarian rebels, Chen Teh-Kwei, who has fought his way up to his late position from the ranks of the Kwangtung irregulars, sent an agent to Ho-nui wel (Hanoi) in Tonquin to report on affairs at that place. On arrival there, the emisenry, Liao King-shen by ame, met an acquaintance, a cashiered official from Hupeh, named Li Yi-hi, who was employed os assistant to the French Consul Tu Pui 4 th 36 (Dupuis), who was engaged in transporting signment of arms and ammunition on behalf of the General-in-chief of Yunnan, Ma Ju-lung. Li informed the emissary that the barbarian officials of Anam had stopped the vessels, in the absence of any communication from the authorities of and he exhibited to Liao the instructions given to himeelf by the General-in-chief of that provides. He further drew up in concert with Dupuis a despatch, which he sent by Hay to Ch'én Teh-kwei, requesting him to call on the Anamese officials to allow them to proceed on their journey. On finding that the military stores in question were actually destined for use by the Yunnan authorities, Ch'én -kwei wrote as requested some discrepancies of quotation in the despatch, still refused a e to the earners. Dupuis upon this transhipped his cargoes, and found his own way of getting on into Yiunan, The remaining charges have been similarly investigated, with the result of clearing Ch'éu Teh-kwei of the liability to punishment beyond the temporary deprivation of trank, which it is proposed that he be allowed a further chance of redeeming; but Lino King-shen, who exceeded his functions by meddling in affairs that did not concern him, is adjudged guilty of a grave offence, and it is requested that he be deprived of his rank asa district magistrate and banished under the most severe conditions to the Amoor} there to be consigned to penal servitude, The memorial is referred by rescript for the consideration of the Board of Punishments.
Dee. 22nd.—(1)—Commands have been issued through the chamber of address, to the effect that all the princes, ministers, and officials going on duty within the Palace shall, up to the 18th of March next, appear in fill embroidered uniforms. The government departments will continue to send in their documents as usual, (2)—A Decree. The rank to be taken by Pao-yun, as Grand Secretary, is next below Teo Tsung-Vang.
(8)—Yih-tsung (the Prince of Tun, com: monly called the fifth Prince, eldest of the Fmperor's four surviving dudes,) and his colleagues, memorialize as follows, laying before his Majesty their report in obedience to commands received. On the Lith Deo. the Prince of Kun: colleagues of the Grand Coun Tinlized in the following terms: your Majesty has happily met with an attack of small-pox FRHH IGE. Be, the Sacred Person shuld enjoy rear and restorative cate, and it would seem fitting that the swerilicial ceremuities 10 be performed at the Temple of Heaven and the Imperial Temples, us well as all presentations of officials on the part of the varieds departuients of government, beside all matters of business in general, should be arranged in obedience to the exigencies of the case. We beg, therefore, that the Prince of Tun, the Prince of Fu (youngest Ministers of the Brescuce, may take action of the four imperial uncles), and the
with ourselves in drawing up suitable rules and in laying them before your Majesty as the system to be pursued." To this the rescript was returned it as is proposed." This having been reverently received, your servants have jointly taken counsel, ind they now submit a copy vf the rules they have drawn up, for the imperial sanction.—Rescript: Bo it as is proposed.
Upon the above follow the proposed rules with reference to the delegation of his Majesty's ceremonial functions during the hundred days of seclusion, ending
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.