May 15th.—(1) A decree conferring the following appointments consequent "upon the death of Yuan Pao-hong:—Vice-President of the Board of Punishments, Hwang Choh PAO (transferred from the Board of Ceremonies.) Vice-President of the Board of Ceremonies, Wang Wen-shao SCHR, who will confine to perform the duties of acting Vice-President of the Board of War.
(2) Memorial by the Board of Civil Office uswer to the charges of a Censor, who accuses them of having made a man present his credentials and be gazetted to a post after he had actually died. The regulations lay down that nominees for selection to appointments shall present their credentials on the first day of the month previous their selection, which shall take place on the 26th of the following moon, or 55 clear days afterwards. An exception, however, is made in the Ist moon, when candidates ave allowed to present themselves ut the opening of the seals," or the resumption of the ordinary routine after the new year's vacation, instead of on the Ist of the month, "This was the case with the individual in question, who was not, as the Censor seemed to imagine, represented in the following month' by a substitute. Again, the Censor fails to understand why the man's death had not, been reported by the 25th of the second moon, the day the drawings for provinees were' held, that is, twenty-seven days after his decease, and imagines that the clerks held back the information in order to defer the appoint mont for another month, and thereby obtain a bribe from the candidate next on the list. Had the announcement of the man's death reached the Board on the 24th, the day before the drawing, the appointment would have been given' to the candidate next on the list, but as a matter of fact it did not arrive until three days after the, @rawings had taken place. (See Gaztte of 2nd May.)
May 16th.—(Abstracts of memorials.) Yen King-ming gives the particulars of a slight fall of rain they have been fortunate enough to obtain in Shansi. Rescript From the account of the memorialist it He was also directed to carry. out the tithing system with vigour, and put a stop to the distilling of spirits. He reported in reply that the harvest had been good one, and that there was no im mediate necessity for the sale of grain at reduced rates. The Governor, having his suspicions, sent an officer to make enquiries, when he found that the harvest had been'a failure, and the sale of grain at reduced rates was immediately required. The tithing system had never ey prose-would appear that complete saturation has cuted with any reality, and the only step not yet been obtained. Our anxiety re- taken by the magistrate in the direction of mains intense. Let the Governor and his sup, pression of distilleries was to levy fines on his own account, inflicting as many as who resisted his, nder of this di ith aw uninteres from the Governor of Kiangsi, in answer toa charge from the Censur Ngou Yang-yun, who declares that the cost of the periodical presents and birthday offerings to the higher officials of that province is distributed over the land and grain tax. The Governor denies the charge, and gives along history of the successive rates. of exchange and commutation tariffs that have been fixed by previous Governors, which, he asserts, have been faithfully adhered to. (For decree, summarising this memorial, see Guzette of 29th April.)
May 17th.—(1) A decree in answer to a memorial from the Board of Works complaining of the non-payment of interest due by the province of Shantung. Of late years all that the Board have been able to obtain in response to repeated calls is a few thousand taels, which have been made to do duty for the large sums in arrear. The Governor is called upon to issue peremptory instructions to the Salt Commissioner to make a rule henceforward to pay this interest yearly, irrespective of the amount of taxes obtained, and to forward it simulta neonsly in equal portions to the Board of Works and the Office of the Imperial Household. He is also directed to consider in what manner he will best be able to pay off arrears of this interest, and submit his proposals to the Throne.
(2) Memorial by Ting Pao-cheng, Governor-General of Szech'wan,—requesting ion to arrest and imprison twelve cials, sub-prefects, magistrates and others, who have neglected to account for certain taxes due by them, and have failed to make them good within the time allotted. He proposes to ascertain by enquiry from their clerks and runners whether these monies have been appropriated or devoted to other purposes, and he will at the same time send officers secretly to their respective houses to confiscate their property and discover whether any hoards are secreted there.
Postscript. memorial by the same officer, stating that during the past year he has been at particular pains to observe the character and capabilities of the various department and district magistrates within his jurisdiction, whose duties, as custodians of the people and their homes, involve such important interests. He finds that the acting Magistrate of Ta-chub, when sent last year to Kinting-fu to make enquiries respecting the amount of judicial arrears, displayed an utter want of self-respect, and made use of the underlings for purposes of extortion, obtaining with their aid some hundreds of taels. His arrogance and evil deeds have caused him to be avoided by his fellow magistrates, are afraid to have any intercourse with him. Again, the magistrate of T'ai-ping was called upon last year to report on the condition of the crops within his jurisdiction, which in consequence of want of rain during the Gth and 7th moons, promised to be an utter failure, to promote subscriptions amongst the gentry for the purchase of grain to be sold at reduced rates, and take other precautionary measures, fessed ty call tributions," though not expended in cluvity, This the memorialist heard, celebrated his birthday notwithstanding the distress that prevailed, and levied offer ings" in all directions. The extortions practised by his underlings are so excess sive that no one dare complain at the magistracy, even in cases of robbery and murder. "The conduct of this man is detestable in the extreme, and the memorialist requests that he and the acting magistrate of Ta-chub may at once be cashiered and proceeded against for exter tion. They have already been sent for to the provincial capital, and shall be subjected to most. rigorous and searching examination, (Decree already issued.)
May 18th.—{1) A Decree, The Censor Ts'ui Mu-che memorialises requesting that orders may be given for the arrest of certain despoilers of graves. He states that in the public burying ground attached to the west Shansi club, situated within the which have been temporarily deposited Kwang-an gate of the city of Peking, coffins there awaiting removal have been unearthed and broken upon on five or six occasions since last winter. Such acts of unbridled jawlessness can never be permitted within the Lnperial precincts. Let the office of Gendarmerie, the Governor of Shuntien, and the metropolitan Censors make every effort for the arrest and punishment of the offenders. Any attempt at suppress sinn of facts, or carelessness on the of the police of the locality in question, must be treated with uncompromising Decrees conferring the followi appointments:—Supervising Censor anc keeper of the Seal, Board of Ceremonies, GAM AM. Chief Supervisor, Inperial Supervisorate of Instruction, Hi Che-luang EIR RE.
(4) T'an Chung-lin Governor of Shensi, reports the trial and execution of a man who murdered three members of a housohold, and attempted the life of a fourth. Ma Sheng-che a labourer, who hired himself out to work, was on friendly terms with one Hu Lay-erh, a native of Yung-show-hien, from whom he often borrowed money and seldom paid it back, At the close of the year 1876, Mu Sheng-che hired himself out toa man called Wang Ch'ao-kin, and when he got an opportunity, used to sport with his employer's wife and act imroperly with her unbeknown to her husband. At the end of six months or so, he suggested to the woman that they could prosecute their amours with more freedom if she ran away with him. The woman consented, and they eloped, battling all attempts at discovery of their whereabouts by the injured husband. A month later, Ma Sheng-che went to see his old friend Lao-erh, and get a little money out of him. Hi Lao-erh, who knew that he had carried off Wang Ch''ao-kin's wife, began to abuse him directly he saw him, and told him not to come near the place again, Ma Sheng-she reproached him with want of friendliness, whereupon Hu Lao-erh got angry, declared he would let Wang know that he was there, and get him sent
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.