December Srd.—(1) A decree ordering the Proctors at the examination of Manchus in the language of their race for the degree of chu jen lately held at Foochow to be committed to the Board for the determination of a penalty. Only nine candidates having presented themselves, t examination should not have been held as the number was not sufficient, but, in defiance of the law on the subject, the Proctors opened the sealed envelopes containing the subjects for the examination, which they proceeded to hold. As the papers of the candidates have been forwarded to the Board of Civil Office, they are ordered to look through them at the same time as the other papers, and are authorised to pass one individual if any of the papers are good enough to deserve a degree. It is to be understood, however, that this concession is not to afford a precedent, and in future no examination is to be held if the requisite number of candidates fail to present themselves. from a Censor, who alleges that, in spite (2) A decree acknowledging a memorial of the yellow proclamation announcing that the land tax would last year be remitted in various departments and di: in Chihli, this tax was nevertheless levied, ud those for the second period of the year were further lumped with the taxes for the first period. He further expresses his convietion that the same thing is certain to have occurred in other provinces. The high authorities concerned are directed to ascertain whether instances of so abominable a proceeding have occurred in their respective jurisdictions, and to denounce the authorities who have ventured to commit so gross an irregularity. They are further called upon to consider the advisability of adoptyalow proclamations announcing the remising a suggestion of the Censor that the sion of land tax shall be distributed by officers specially appointed for the purpose, who will personally see that they are posted up.
(8) Chou Yui-ching JAUSiag7ep is appointed Director of the Imperial Banqu ing Court.
(4) Liu Sheng-tsao Bye is appointed Taotai of the Ta, Shun, Kuang Gircuit in Chili.
A decree acknowledging a memorial from a censor who calls attention to the fact that a Sub-prefect by purchase who menced life as a shop boy has, after ho¥iing some ten or more acting appointments in the Shun-tien prefecture, opened some shops and inns in Ting Chow. He also neglected to report the fact of his marriage with the daughter of the Magistrate of San-ho in the same prefecture, and when denounced for this omission last year by Chou Chia-mei, the late Governor, he feigned illness and obtained sick leave. When Chou Chia-mei vacated his post, this individual at once recovered, and is now acting as Magistrate of San-ho. Another acting official is also denounced for opening a tea hong, and in accordance with the Censor's request a commission of high officers, with the Grand Secretary Shen Kuei-fen at their head, is ordered to investigate the matter, December 4th.—With throe unimportant exceptions, the whole of this day's Gazette is occupied with Memorials from the Prince of Tun and those associated with him in the supervision of the construction of the Mausolea for the Empresses Regent, soliciting the bestowal of honorary rewards on the officers who have been employed on this service. The decrees in answer to these memorials appear in the Gazette of the 18th and 19th Nov.
December 5th.—(1) A decree order the bestowal of titles upon the various Gods of the Yellow River, through whose inter cession dangers from inundation through the bursting of the banks of the Yellow and Ch'in rivers have been averted.
(2) In consideration of the approaching cold weather the officers and men of the Banner and Chinese corps stationed in Peking are to receive one month's pay and rations in addition to their usual allowances.
(3) Two months' extra pay and rations
Tsung shih or Imperial Clansmen, and granted on the same (rounds to the Gioro, or collateral relatives of the Imperial House, the widows and orphans of this class having one month's extra. pay and rations bestowed upon them in addition to the grant of a mouth's extra allowances already given, (4) 'Tacks 50 per mensem are ordered to be issued from the Privy Purse to the officers engaged in the compilation of the " Verits bl ord" for the purchase of fuel, in' addition to the wood and charcoal supplied them under the regulations. The issue of this special allowance is to continue during the 11th and 12th months of the present Chinese year, and the first month of the next.
(5) A Decree, Some time since, Ngén Cheng and ung Hua, the High Commissioners sent to Szechuen, complained that the Magistrate of Tung-hsiang had been dilatory in obeying the instructions that were sent him to send forward the witnesses in the case [of the riots of which this district was the scene.] We thereupon issued a Decree committing the Magistrate in question to the Board for the determination of a peuslty, and, in accordance with their suggestion, ordered his removal to another post. The Court of Censors now report that Lu Chao-lin, the Magistrate aforesaid, has complained to them of the injustice of his punishment, alleging that he has proofs to show that the witnesses demanded were sent forward by him six days after the order for their transmission was received, and that he had been guilty of no delay whatsoever. We command Ting Pao-cheng to report whether or no these statements are true, and, in the event of the latter contingency, to explain where the delay occurred.
(6) A Decree, The Court of Censors report that one Yang Ch'i-kuang, a Taotai on probation in Kiangsu, las applied for authority to open miues'in the country, with a view to enriching the revenues of the empire. Let the Board concerned take the matter into consideration and report.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.