"Chang-Chi-Wan, lieutenant-Governor of Kiangst, reports that the people of Hueian, Chuchow and Haichow have from old times been turbulent and savage, and ven to piracy and villanies of all kinds.
jut ever since the Taiping and Nienfei movements they have become simply outrageous, and they have from time to time been recruited by the disbanded soldiers of broken-up camps. Unless some signal example is made, the lieutenant-governor is extremely apprehensive of what these people may next turn their attention to. When the memorialist was Grain Cominission he used whenever he caught any of these fellows to behead them immediately, and subsequently report to the throne. Now that he is lieutenant-governor the duty of pacifying the province weighs even heavier upon him than it did before. Accordingly he has taken a certain official and made him responsible for the extermination of the brigands in the localities mentioned. This person has been charged to draw wp a monthly report of the raids committed, and not to wait for the sufferers to approach the lieutenant-governor. Those who are captured, whether discharged soldiers or others, are to be tried at once, and-the depositions sent on to the lieutenant-governor who will lose no time in ordering them to be beheaded on the spot. It is the great urgency of the case which has led the memorialist to exceed his powers in this manner. Had there merely been a little rising, or a little brigandage he would of course have examined, arrested and reported, waiting for death warrants from Peking. But here the immediate nature of the punishment was important." The lieutenant-governor's action is approved.—Peking Gazette—Oyele.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.