December 12th.—The officials at the Hata Gate forwarded a prosont of silver fish (HUPA the Lencosoma) for His Majesty.
(1) A Decree, in from Séléngd, appointing the Commissioner of Justice, Oh'ing-juots'ép', a Commandant of the Thibetan forces.
(2) Memorial from Ch'én Ch4-t'ai, Censor of the Shansi Circuit, denouncing Tu Taung-ying for making a false report on the case of the offi nondod for ing uprising gines i wua-hsien and Fen; The proofs of the way in which T'n Taung-ying tried to seroon misdeeds under a multitude of words, and now lays them before Their Majesties. The Feng-huang outbreak was caused by the excessive uso of torture by Chiang Chao-ch'éng, for which Li Ming-oh'ih intended to denounce him; but Tan Hoiang-liang etc., in the hope of gaining fame, fabricated 'a misleading report, and Idiers were sent by the Governor to The simple abori-
Such injustice and cruelty seams incredible Li Ming-chih, fearing public opinion, denounced the Magistrate on another charge, as to screen Tan Hsiang-liang and preserve the recommendations made. The Chiang-hua affair originated in the unjust Aecision of the magistrate Hu O-chien in a dispute about land between the native Aborigines and Chinese squatters. As soon soldiers' were despatched thither, the ple submitted. But, instead of two or three ringleaders, eighty or ninety persons were butchered. Yang Kuo-luo and Ch'én Tsai-hsin were dismissed for ting @ prisoner escape; they had nothing todo with this case; but Hu O-chien, instead of being brought to trial, received again and again excellent acting appointments. The military officers, Ssu Yuan-chan, etc., whose licentious conduct evoked general hatred, were recommended, not denounced. Both outbreaks, it appears to the memorialist, were due to the local officials, and might have been calmed by any upright and able officer. The unjustifable employment of troops, and the mas-sacro of innocent and guilty alike, called for punishment; and to turn the affairs into military operations and draw up a long list of officers to be commended, was still more unnatural and improper. Li Ming-chih deserves punishment for con-coaling the guilt of the officials and claiming for them undeserved rewards, T'u -ying's report, in reply to His Majesty's Rescript, was not founded on facts, but simply' concealed or justified misdeeds. His assertion that he ted secret enquiry and made a h investigation,' is mere empty Whom does he expect to deceive by describing the abodes of simple people as robbers' eaves, and the slaughter of im cent men as extermi memorialist has not every case his assertion that all the oticers recommended had a share in the affair, but in over twenty instances, at least, the officials who exerted themsel: were either in the provincial capital, or in other ests, or sick, or of tender years. The governor says that ho has searched the records; if so, he must know who held batantive posts or official com-at that time. If he had really and asked for public opinion, rhone in the capital know the truth, A could there be for mis repre:
tation and exaggeration? The momorialist has heard of only twenty cases, but their falsity suggests the untrustworthy character of all the recommendations, Li guilt in making reckless redations is slight compared with the deceit of Tu Tsung-ying's lying defence of the wror (See Decree in Gazette of Novem Compare also Gazette of Des 1880) memorial, propose that the sacrificial sels lust from the Treasury of the Eastern Mausolea should be replaced as sven as possible by the Supply Oflice of the Imperial Household; and that, meanwhile, the Comptroller of the Household lend 17 bowls, etc., from the Imperial Treasury for use at the sacrifices at the winter solstice, December 13th.—(Abstract of memorials). Li Chao-tang, Superintendent of the Foochow Arsenal, represents that his grows more serious, and prays for leave to return home and attend to his health, A Rescript grants him two months' leave. Lit Yue-tow (ihe was appointed overseer in October 1881), is to zealously supervise all matters cotmected with the Arsenal, (2) Memorial from Pien Pao-ti, reporting the result of the enquiry he was commanded to make as to the truth of the charge of falsehood brought against T'n Taung-ying. (See yeaterday's Gazette). he Feng-huang ting rising was really an attempt at insurrection on the part of a Tien Mino. (fif), named Shih Lao-hua, who had served as i irregular in Kweichow. He lowers, assumed two years plun Chao-ch'ény did not cause the rising by the excessive use of torture; nor did Tan Hsiang-liang make a" false' report. The outbreak in Ciriang-hua may be traced to the extortion of the underlings in reference to the death of a nameless beggar in a Yao ($%) village. The aborigines, having learned from the clerks at Yung-chou (whither they went in a body to lodge a complaint) that a Decree of the Emperor Kien-lurly's forbade the purchase of their land, and compelled the Chinese purchaser to restore it without receiving any compensation, requested the clerks to Petition the protect to issue a proclamation to that effect and have it engraved on a memorial pillar. The magistrate after. wards reversed these acts, on the ground that Chinese had possessed the lands for several generations. In the autumn of 1879, however, a dispute about the amount of certain rents led to the revival of the old doctrine, and several hundred mu were stripped of corn. The Magistrate seized the ringleader, P'an Cheng-hao, and imprisoned him. In 1880 Yang Kuo-hua succeeded to the post of Magistrate, and his underlings were bribed to release P'an Ch'éng-hao. His escape was the signal for the slaughter of over 100 Chinese squatters (ZH) and the burning of their houses, Two battalions of troops were detached to quell the disturbance and Pfan Ch'Gng-hao hanged himself. Thirteen rebels only were executed: there was no causeless murder of eighty or ninety persons.' There is no proof of licentious conduct on the part of Ssu Yianchun and his colleagues, nor was any plaint laid against them. Yang Kuo-hua and Hu O-chien, who were to blame for the rising, have both been cashiered, The number of officers recommended on account of these two affairs has been twice reduced, T'n Tsung-vii containing only seven, i names; and the name of only one official, Fu Chiang, has boon approved by the Board. (For Decree se Gazette of 30th November.)
(8) Lin Chao-yuan, Governor of Kweichow, requests that an expectant sub-profect, Po Chih-kuei, be deprived of his rank that he may be brought to trial, Po Chih-kuei and his son had a dispute with Tsdng Han shih about some temple and which they would not let her cultivate, She poisoned herself in consequence of an assault they made on her,—Grauted by Rescript.
December14th.—(Abstract of Memorials). Ch'én Pao-ch'én reports taking over ofice as Literary Chancellor of Kiangsi (1) A Decree, permitting Wang Wen-shao, in consequence of his earnest request at the audience this day, to vacate his post and satisfy his filial longings by returning home and ministering to his mother, (2) A Decree, Wong Téung-ho (P: sident of the Board of Works) is promoted to surve in the Grand Council, (8) A Decree, commanding Ch'ien-hsi, Military Lieutenant-Governor of Ch'ahar, to vacate his post and come to Peking, there to await {urthor employment.
(4) Wang Ming-lion (FARES) is appointed Sub-Rector, and Yang 1 auccoede him as Sub-Expositor, of the Hanlin, (6) Shih-to, Prince of Li, is appointed by special favour a Minister of the Presence on probation.
(6) Memorial from Chang Kuan-chun, Supervising Censor of the Board of Re-Six provinces take salt from the area, Salt from Luan fa (Shansi) is smuggled into the Ching-chou and Hsiang-yang neighbourhood of Mupei, and Kwangtung salt invades the Kiangsi area. In other cases, the sale of the statutory allotment jured not only by the smuggling of wu licensed salt, but also by the encroachment of the licensed merchants on marts to which they do not belong. This is the bane of the Huai and it is due to the fact that the established system, being regarded as a dead letter, has, in course of time, become relaxed beyond hope of recovery. Local rectifications and reforms are quite inadequate. It is essential that, by the suppression of the unlawful usurpation of areas, no pretext be left for dishonest speculation, and, by the reform of the system of retaining part of the amount applied for to secure the payment of the fees, no excuse be afforded for the non-payment of the salt-duties. The me-monalist submits six propositions, the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.