Aug, 21st,—Edict—Li Hung-chang having reported certain Magistrates as defaulters to the Treasury to the amount altogether of Tls. 64,800, Black Dates Piculs 90, Rice Piculs 900, &e., We direct that the' property belonging to those officers shall be attached, whether the proferty is at their official residence, or at their native places. the Governors of the respective Provinces to which the defaulters belong, are ordered to take the necessary steps.
Aug. 22nd.—Edict.—Shao Hong-yii_has rayed that Lin Sheng-pao, a general in ail-sv, may. be allowed to retire into mourning and perform his father's obser in cannot at present be dispensed with, but must continue to perform his duties until the country is quite pacified, In the meantime, to wipe away as much as possible the trouble this must cause to the "departed shade, We hereby advance the deceased father one stop in rank.—Let the Board take note, [Here follows a long list of appointments.]
Aug. 21st & 22nd.—Memorial from Lia Kuen-i, Governor of Kiangsi, on taxation, in continuation of " previous memorial,: The memorial is occasioned by one from Hu Chia-vii, a chief Censor, who denounced the illegal excess of taxation in Kiangsi, and prayed that it might be- reduced to the legal rate. This excess was sanctioned by the Throne, first on the representation of Tstng Kwo-fan, the then viceroy, and Shen Pao-chen, the then Governor, ten years ago, and several times since. Pre-Vious to that time a much larger rate had been levied. The rates then sanctioned are in force now, and it is prayed they may continue so. For every legal tael one mace of tax on uncultivable land, one tael five maco is levied, and this is distributed thus:—<to the Treasurer one candareen, to the Prefect, five candareens, to the mayistrate two mace four candareens,—held for extraordinary disbursements, one mace, total four mace. The latter items include expenses at the triennial and yearly examinations, the antung circuits, and the prefectural court expenses; also in forwarding officers and messengers on their way to Peking, and granting extra assistance towards keeping order in thinly-peopled districts if turbulent, and in raising the salaries of writers in' the higher Yaméns to the same rate us those in' magistrates' offices. An increase is also levied in the commuted grain-tribute of sixty cents, of which two go to the Taotai, five to the Prefect, thirty-three to the magistrate, and twenty to the extraordinary disbursements; total, 60 cents. The one can-doreen' allotted to the Treasurer is the only item which can be disallowed, and this affords some, though not much, relief to throughout the Empire. to the Treasurer's pocket fully in the Edict base on it which The large proportion "allotted to the appeared on 12th August.] Magistrates is to meet the expenses of (8) The Governor of Yunnan recom-collectors, freight, coolie hire, stationery, mends. special shrine for the father and nel.' The salaries of these officials are and mother of General Ho Yao-tseng. really inadequate, and it is impossible to The General remained at his post for force them to bear the additional outlay. ten years after his mother's death, and, They would certainly manage to extort an though broken-hearted, would not allow extra amount from the taxpayers,—it is is natural feelings sway until the province better therefore to sanction a known was recovered. The mother had committed increase than to leave the addition to be suicide during the advance of the rebel fixed by their cupidity. Great amelioratroops. The Governor will see to the repair tion has resulted from the working of this of all the old shrines granted for distin-plan, in easing the position of the several guished service.—Rescript: Will consider. officers concerned. The increase in the (4) From the same. Records movements grain tribute of sixty cents is really neces-in the service.—Rescript: Recorded. sary, for the commutation was fixed at an August 25th.—Ediet,—Pao Yuan-shen, unfairly low rate. Rice is never as Governor of Shansi, reports the attainment low as One Tael Nincty cents or 2,000 by Hsii Chi-vii, lately Chief-of the 'T'si-p'o-cash per picul, at which the increased (Department of State) of the sixtieth commutation now leaves it, And the anniversary from the passing of his Chi-increase is not compulsory, for any one by jen degree, and prays leave to give the paying at the due date may escape it; usual feast in honour of the occasion, thirty cents more is levied after a certain This gentleman passed his "Doctor's degree time, and again thirty cents after a further (Chin-shih) very early in life, then while period. This system of demanding pay-in the Hanlin College was raised to the ment for time allowance was in vogue rauk of a Governor ofa Province, and even under the old regime of levy in kind, finally attained the post from which he but and indeed there would be no getting the recently retired. Ho is hereby advanced taxes in at all without a penalty of this to the trade of 1st Button, and the feast sort.—Rescript: The Memorial has been prayed for is allowed to take place. carefully perused, and its tenor is ap-Two Memorials from the Governor of proved, but let there be great care taken Yiunan in favour of posthumous honours to denounce for severe punishment any to various officers. departure from the approved scale. Let Aug. 26th.—Edict making two appoint-the Board take note. Respect this. ments in the Board of Revenue.
Aug. 28rd.—Edict (1).—[A very lengthy list of honours and decorations bestowed (2) Four Memorials from the High Authorities of Yunnan and Kweichow request-on those who helped in any way to retake ing bestowal of various honours, and other Ta-li-fu and the other cities occupied by routine matters. the Mahomedan rebels.)
Blot (2).—Tsai-chien and his colleagues appointed Acting Chief of the Kuang-lu-Aug, the Baict Ha Kangeahén is have prayed that a high officer be commis-Aloned te report on the repairs required at the tombs of the Empresses. Yin Chao-(2) Memorial from Wen-vian 30 $7, yung is directed to perform that service. announcing his taking the scala of Office Memorial (8).—The Censorate reports as Hoppo of Canton, an appeal case from Honan. The origin month's extension Pais for reach-(8) From Pao-sun $§ Ffi] asking of the dispute arose from a contested title to valuable mining property, the appellants showing good deeds from Kieulung's reign, ing his post. He caught a fever from a while the other side fabricated documents wetting he got in journeying through Chihli, but struggled on as far as Shansi, purporting to be of date under Yung-lo where he is now detained. and other Emperors of the Ming dynasty.
The latter were exposed and condemned, (4) From Shao Hong-vii, Governor of but by bribery managed to get out of Shansi. He states that some answers to ison and in revenge collected a rab-prayer have been accorded by the Kuan-Fie who "destroyed 000. trees on the property, and also killed a nephew of Ymperial recognition of the fact.—Rescript: in Temple at Yao-chow, and prays for
Under consideration. the complainants; and they~have evaded punishment for these acts hitherto for the Aug. 28th.—Edict. Records sundry promotions for service in the late successful last four years,—also by means of bribery.—Rescript: Recorded.
(2) The Censorate reports an appeal ti Memorial (4).—From the same, Another appeal case. The father of the com-from Kuéng-si. The Appellants are plainant incurred the wrath of some un-Mo Lan-sen, Chou Hsia-meng and Tsing derlings in the Yamen of the magistrate at Kuang-hua. At Nan-tan-chow a man Chien-shih, because he had denomiiced named Mo Yung-hsi AL and his son con-them for forging and using for corrupt ducted a raid on the appellant Mo's pro-purposes an official seal. Friends of the perty, killing and spoliating. As the ringiter by name Hsiang and Huang then leader could not be caught, his wife and dressed up in officer's uniform, and collect-eldest son were beheaded by the Governor's ed some hundreds of followers, whom they orders. Mo Yung-hsi then fled to Ssiifurnished with red turbans, swords, spears ch'éng, a neighbouring town, and there and some light cannon, and sacked and mustering some members of a secret society ruined the homestead of the complainants, to. the number of several thousand, led them. destroying everything in the place, and next spring to Nan-tan and there occupied killing father, cousin, and uncle. Four a hill over against the town, and proceeded years have since elapsed in fruitless efforts to appropriate a great part of appellant to obtain justice, as neither the Magistrate Mo's property—viz: six hamlets and the nor Prefect will attend to the orders of the land adjoining. Appellant moved thirty Governor or Judge of the province. Re-off, to another part of his property, but script: Recorded. was even there.molested, his farm servants August 24th—Prinee Tun and others frightened away, 37 of his bullocks and return their thanks for a present of Birds-three horses being carried off; and finally nests. during the next winter appellant's uncle Edict (1) Let the Board of Punishment carried off the whole of his stock including consider and report on the memorial of 13,000 piculs of rice. Mo Yung-hsi then Vice-President Hsia Tung-shan, advising brought down a band of Miao-tzi to pre-that the rate of punishment pronounced vent investigation in Court. These filion robbers be altered to the old-estab-busters have been able to thwart justice lished law. by wholesale bribery, notwithstanding (2) Memorial from Censor Heti Ting-orders from the high authorities, and even Kuei, recommending revision of taxation the detachment of a body of soldiers to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.