July 4th. (1) A further memorial from the Grand Secretary Wénsiang, appealing for the third time for leave to retire from public service, and to devote himself to the restoration of his health. In the anxiety that besets him owing to the reflection that his duties remain unfilled, he finds himself growing worse and worse. Sleep more than ever deserts him at night, and the asthma, loss of consciousness at intervals, and other complaints under which he labours, have resisted all attempts at cure. He entreats permission to retire altogether into private life, trusting that quiet and freedom from care may perhaps enable him to regain his health. At the first moment that he may feel able to bear up under active employment, he will assuredly not allow himself to be tempted by a life of ease.—Rescript granting another month's congo has already been published.
(2) A memorial from Wu T'ang, Governor-General of Szech'wan. On the 9th April, a despatch was received from the Comptroller-General of the Imperial Household, stating that his Majesty's commands having been received for the repair of Yuan-ming Yuan and the adjacent places, sanction has been applied for to the despatch of instructions to the provincial governments of the two Hu, the two Kwang, and Szech'wan, calling upon each to provide 3,000 large pieces of timber, to be paid for as part of the regular provincial expenditure. The respective governments were likewise to report before the end of May the extent to which this order cane complied with, specifying dimensions of the timber they can furnish, In the detailed statement accompanying this despatch it is set forth that balks of cedar, hard-pine, and three other descriptions of timber, are required, in diameters ronging from 4 cloth to 7 tsun, and in lengths from 4 chang 8 chih to 1 chang 5 chih. Beside these 3,000 pieces of heavy timber, 600 logs of soft-pine for mast wood are specified, in lengths of 6 chang, and of diameters from 1 chih 5 tsun downwards; with 500 more logs of another kind. ' Upon this the Governor-General has to represent that about the year 1825 orders were given for the supply of 417 logs of hardwood and 673 lengths of other timber from Szech'wan, for the procuring of which agencies were organized in the primeval forests near Ta-tsien Lu and Yueh-tsin Ting, distant 10 or 15 days' journey from the provincial capital, The trees, when felled, lay a great distance fromthe nearest rivers, from which they lofty ranges of moun-
timber over mountains and valleys, for spent in dragging the which purpose it was necessary to construct roads, at a great expenditure of labour, Much of the timber was injured in the course of transport, and had to be replaced; and years elapsed before the supply called for was ready for shipment. Since 1850, when the province was overrun in all directions by the rebels, the greater portion of the standing trees of an; have been burnt down or felled, and the subsequent growth is not yet of a serviceable size. It would be quite impossible to meet a demand auch as the present, which 'Y is several times ter than that of half a century ago. Dwelling once more upon the immense difficulties that interpose in the way of transport of timber by land, the Governor-General proceeds to say that when the water courses are at length reached, matters aren't much more favourable, owing to the rapids that occur everywhere. It would be necessary to float the timber log by log down the mountain streams to Kia-ting Chow, at which place only could they be formed into rafts, Instructions have been given to capable and able-bodied officials, directing them to proceed to the forest region for the purpose of ascertaining what timber can really be supplied; but to comply with the requirement of sending in a report by the month of May was absolutely impossible; and the Governor-General begs for more time, As regards the soft-pine, moreover, it was represented on the former occasion that this wood in Szech'wan is of a very loose and porous texture, and is apt to split after being soaked in water, and afterwards exposed to the sun; on which ground the order for it was then cancelled, and it is asked that the same may uow be doue.—Rescript: Be it as is requested. Let the Office in question take note.
(2) A postscript memorial from the same quarter, to the effect that in a despatch
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.