Five hundred Murata rifles have boon manufactured in the Arsenal during last month, and were distributed among the garrisons, Five thousand are to be manufactured by Juno next.
'A certain secretary of a Government Department who has boon a long time in Germany, presented a memorial to the Government concerning the compilation of constitution, and urging, it is eaid, the ty of establishing © house called i, besides the House of Commons and Poors. Its object is to restrict the rower of the people. If this be true we "eat Took out, Owing to the future establishment of a National Aasombly, the Government officials are trying to save sll they can, and some, it is, reported, intend to apply to the Government for grants of Govern-mont land at low prices, It la rumoured that three or four millions of tsuboes of Government Innd have already been disposed of.
It is reported that the Government has decided on annually giving yen 800,000 to the unemployed shikoku for a term of eight years, Some propose that the money should be given to such of them as apply to the authorities for an advance of ex pital to begin industrial pursuits; others pone that the money should be giv sume of yen 2, which would amount to yen 800,000 in the total, as there are 40,000 families of unemployed s/izoku.
Mr, Shotai, the ex-King of Loochoo, has given 2,000 yen towards establishing a school in Okinawa for the children of shizoka.
Mr. Shinagawa, a lawyer practising in the Kobe Shishin Saibansho, complained that Fukuda, a detective employed in the Hiogo police force, was in the habit of i ibos, Fukuda has absconded, aid many people are implicated.
tianity is prospering at Imaharu, Tye, and the followers of other religions are striving to stand against it. Hagi, Tomite, Yano, and some other devoted adherents of the Kurodsumi sect of Shin-foism engaged Bakin, a lecturer of Osaka to preach the expulsion of Christianity. Bakin's eloquence was ineffective to attract a numerous audience, although he held forth for several days, and his employers were therefore much disappointed. On the 11th ult, the Christians held meetings at which Bakin's addresses were severely criticised, to the delight of an immense number of hearers. his made Yano very angry, and he commenced arguing with Miyagawa, the Christian preacher, but no definite result was arrived at, Yano then determined to substitute physical force for controversy, and at the end of last year collected about 200 persons, who sur-Founded Miyagawa's house. These fullowers were preparing to use violence, when the police arrived and arrested Yano and Saga, the leader:
It is customary in Osaka to release " fox during the cold weather. Some swindlers are now carrying a little brown dog about ina box with some small holes in one side, 80 that the animal cannot be distinguished, and are collecting subscriptions to defray the cost of catching a fox which they pretend is in the box. We think these men are more cunning than a fox.
Nhegovernor of acertain prefecture near Tokio is very strict in the performance of hia duties, but appears to have come to the conclusion that an attempt to prevent the people giving expression to their opitions is like trying to dam back a" large river with one hand. Accordingly he did not interfere with public lecturing, but some days ago the Minister for Kducntion gave him imperative instructions not to permit any lecturing in the school-houses, In Shidsuoka the magistrates have for-hidden the school-teachers to give lectures even on subjects solely relating to education, There is much discontent in consequence.
On the morning of the 14th instant a paper, mas pasted up on a lamp-post in uwomachi stating that a man was anxious to shoot His Excellency Ito, and that it was worthy of inquiry how it happened that that minister is so intensely hated: A man dressed like an official tore the paper down, In a certain Department the Minister ordered one of subordinates with whom he is very familiar to find out what news papers the clerks employed in the office were accustomed to read, as he required the information prior to making promotions. It afterwards transpired that those officials who patronized either the Meiji Nippo, Nichi Nichi Shimbun, or Akebono Shimbun received promotion, while readers of the Mainichi Shimbun or Choya Shim-dun were passed over.
A debate took place in the Cabinet lately relative to the proposed abolition of the press laws after the new criminal code force. A certain Privy Council lor submitted a resolution that newspapers might express their views freely, subject only to the restraints imposed' by the general laws, Ho urged that if newspapers are continually interfered with on frivolous grounds, their usefulness will be much impaired, and therefore the existing libel and press less laws ate unsuitable. We hear that the proposal was adopted.—Hiogo News Translation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.