September 27th,—No documents of im-
September 28th.—(1) A decree sanctioning the suggestions of the Board of Revenue to whom the question was referred, of the penalties to be inflicted on the Superintendent of Customs at Sha-hu-know, whose receipts fell short by Tls. 150,600' on the supplementary assessment of his station. The penalty for this misdemeanour is deprivation of two steps of commutative rank, with removal to another post, but the officer in question explains that the falling off in receipts was attributable to the stagnation in trade caused by the famine in Shansi and Honan. His offence being of a different nature, therefore, to want of energy in collection and laxity of supervision, his sentence is commuted to deprivation of commutative rank with the bestowal of a limited period within which to make good the amount of his deficit. The amount of surplus assessment he has succeded in collecting, with th sum saved by him on transport. expenses, are to be handed over to the Treasury of the Privy Purse, (2) The following appointments are an-noticed:—Supervising Censor, Board of Ceremonies, Liu Jui-ki HI FiPit; Pao Shen BA to be appointed to the first vacancy that occurs in the Censorship of the Szech'wan circuit.
(8) A decree consenting to the bestowal of a posthumous title upon Pao Hong, late Imperial Agent at Hami, and formerly commandant of the forces at Guchen, (4) A memorial from a Censor on the subject of certain abuses in connection with the promotion and seniority granted romany officials obtaining rank by purchase, The memorial is uninteresting and somewhat unintelligible unless read with the aid of numerous notes explanatory of the technical terms that are employed.
Memorial from the acting Governor of Yunnan applying on behalf of sixteen subprefectures and districts for permission to establish public seminaries or colleges for the advancement of learning, which they propose to make experimental for the space of five years, after which temples in honor of Coniucius will be erected, as well as additional examination halls and schools, In giving this application his support, me-monalist explains that the expenses in connection with the undertaking will be raised by public subscription; and adds that the districts which are anxious to improve their educational facilities are situated in the South-west of the Empire where the commanity is a mixture of Chinese and savages who were reclaimed from barbarism some two hundred years ago. Now that
work of reorganisation would be materially warfare is at an end in the province, the aided by the spread of so civilizing a power as education; and, as similar privileges have been granted to distri province of Feng-tien, memorialist. hopes that the request now proffered may be granted. It is proposed. to. commence operations in 1880,—Referred to the proper Board.
September 29th.—(Court Circular.) Yang Vu-keo, General of the Kao-chow Brigndo in Kwangtung, had audience of leave, as did also Tsing An, Military Assistant Governor at K'obdo.
(1) P'an Tov-yin JAI FZ is appointed Deputy Director General of the Veritablo Record Ofice.
(2) Memorial by Tseng Kwoh-ts'tian, Governor of Shansi, forwarding a return of amounts collected in the provincial capital by the famine contribution agency. The grievous and extensive famine which devastated the province of Shansi for so long a time, and caused so many millions of living souls to wail piteously for food, was met with repeated grants of money from the Imperial purse and numerous appropriations of tribute grain, while the whole official class identified themselves with the benevolent intentions of the Court that welled forth like a never-ending spring, and [came forward nobly], emptying their purses, contributing their salaries, and foregoing their allowances, insomuch that thegaspingand wretched sufferers owed their lives to the charity thus displayed. The memorialist knows not howheshall repay the debt of gratitude under which he has been Jaid by the loyal counsel and assistance offered by so numerous a body. Ench generation has instances of national calamity and disaster to record, but never has so striking an instance occurred of the powerful influence exercised by the Court over the hearts and feelings of its officers. Exclusive of the amounts received by the Tientsin collectorate, which have already
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.