October 4th.—A Memorial from the Governor of Kinngsi and the Literary Chancellor of that province reporting the stops they have taken in obedience to Imperial Decree to put down the practice of of female infanticide, Some two months ago they were informed by the Grand Council that His Majesty had issued a Deorow referring to the Memorialists Memorial from Wang Pang-hsi, an Expo: siter of the Han-lin Yuan, who hnd called attention to the success which had attended the efforts of a previous Literary Chancellor for the suppression of the crime of female infanticide. While admitting that this crime is inhuman, and subversive of ancial morality in no auall degree, the Memori allots submit that the character of their province stands higher in regard than that of other provinces. In obedience to earlier instructions from His Majesty on this subject, orders were given to the local authorities' to exhort the notables and gentry to devote their attention to the sup-reason of the crime in their immed into vicinity, their efforts being aupported by tio educational officers, who hnd orders to compile and publish short rules upon the subject. During the past fow Fred in each department or district on oars foundling societies have been ory
scale commensurate with thole respective wants or capabilities, and these have not lied to be effective; but it has none the less to be admitted that the success was only partial in many instances, and the compliance openly promised with admonitions of those interested in the matter, was often broken in secret. In view of this atte of things, Pao-shan, the Literary Chancellor, especially directed the ollicers of education to continue these ellorts on a wider scale, and to be specially instant in their exhortations at the examination son sons; and, as the success of their exertions might be considerably restricted in equence of their not being possessed of punitive powers, the territorial authorities were called on to combine with them, rewards being given in cases where success was particularly apparent. he result of this aystem has been that nearly every Department and District town has now iis Fou ling or Orphanaye, for the receipt and maintenance of children that have been abandoned. the financial condi the province, crippled by rebellion in earlier years, which has been followed by suecessive seasons of wet and flood, has pi cstabii to the continual regret of vented the universal spread of th
the Memorialists. In obedience to lis Majesty's latest commands, however, they have given positive orders to the territorial and educational officers of the province to be sincere in their efforts to carry out the t in force, and these instructions lave bes plemented by the issue of proclamations in the joint names of the Memorialists, which embody certain string gent rales prohibiting the crime of female infanticide.
October -—No documents of importance.
October Gth—(1) Hong Ling (EEA) is appointed prefect of Ch'mg-ching Fa in Szechuen, and Hsin Yi-hsin (BS EAS) General of the Sung Pfan Division in the same prov (2) A Décree in answer to the repre-15 of a Censor, ordering the Buard il Oflice to exercise special care in testing the identity of the handvwrit the candidates exat hips and those who successfully pass, it being asserted by the Censor that substitutes are commonly employed by the plicants for admission to these exai tions.
(8) A Decceo ordering the rd_of Astron my to select some auspicivits day in the present moon for commends the repairs to the Imperial Buildin, at Moukden. details, as earlier inby Decree, regarding the income and property of a College," known as the Pai Lu Fa, foun and. comm Tang, or "White Deer Grotto," which was the favourite retreat of the philosopher during his hones of meditation when hulda endowed with landed property situated in different districts in the Nan-eh'ang prefecture, ally brought nal income of about 1,800. value of this property b much nished after the rebellion, was arranged under regulations dew up in the Inst reign, to reduce the rents by twenty per cent., and these have been paid with unfailing regularity but they have only sufficed to the current expenses of the estab ment, and leave no margin for 1 which are greatly neveled, 20 much 30 that the examinations supposed to be held there have no ox in reality. Under instenetivus from the Memorialist veyed the build estimate of the coat of repairing This he found would cost Tis, 1,000, which amount the Financial Commissioner has furnished and has also set aside a sum of Tis, 10,000, the interest on which, ut ton por cent., is to be devoted to the bestowal of additional prizes for literary composite 8 by impecunious scholara, xt examinations to be held periodically, "In conclusion the Memorialist ventures to hope that His Majesty, who has already shown such interest in the welfare of the college, will condescend to bestow upon it Imperial tablet to supplement the one already conferred in the reign of K'ang Hsi.—Grantod by Decree earlier issued.
October 7th.—(1) Ying Jui, Superi dent of the Huai-an Customs, report deficit in his collection fur his year of office of Tls. 301,535, the three Customs atatious under his charge being assessed at 't's, 364.363, and his receipts being only 62,828. "his largo deficit is to be accounted for, primarily, by the diversion of duties by the Shanghai Customs, which takes all impests upon native produce outwards, and foreign goods inwards, that are protected by Transit Pass. Even the beau trade, upon which the Customs depends for sume of its revenue, was last year a failure. To the abore causes must be added an extra amount of smuggling on the part of the boatmen carrying examination students to the north, the closing of the river to navig: tion during a portion of the winter, by excessive frost, followed by a want of water, in the upper portions of the Canal in the spring, which prevented the descent of the grain Meet with their return cargoes, and" other vessels, while, lastly, trade was somewhat paralysed by the condition of alarm wondered by the seditious movements of affiliated societies in Hai Chow. Mu-yang Hsien, An-tung Hsien, and T'ao-vila Hsien. The Memorialist has done his at-most to show his gratitude to His Mujosty, by considering the possibility of theangmentation of the revenue frum every point of view; but, alas circumstances over which human effort can exercise no control have been against him. Ile can perhaps plead that his receipts are a trifle larger than last year, but the deficit is so enormous that "he can only throw himself on His sty's generosity, and crave that more ful treatment which has ever been extended to his predecessors.—Referred to the Board of Revenue.
October -8th.—(1) A Memorial from Tstén Yii-sing, which is evidently a poate script to a general financial report on the provines of Kueichow that has not been issued for publication. This Postscript Memorial appears to be in answer. to a Consor's criticism on the Governor-General's feom which er Jemorialist quotes a sentence in which he manner he proposes in his general scheme for reducing itary expenditure to combine economy with security to life and duo regard for future contingencies, The Memorial, which is lacking in general interest in the absence of the criticisms which apparently culled it, forth, contains nevertheless some financial statements that are perhaps worthy of record, The Governor General mieutions that four years ago ho stated, ina general summary of the army estimate: of Kueichow, that by the substitution diers for iregulara, he could provincial army on a million tala a year, and carry on the general aiinivistration of the province, provided he was granted a supplementary estimate of 'Tis, 800,000 for payment of arrears, the creation of new poste that the abolition of irregulars demanded, and the provision, wianufacture of munitions of war, Ho erther undertook in three years' time to suggest certain n i Those three years have now ela though the fold subsidy of Las of been forwarded by the provinces i none the lei undertaking to ce ile has come to the conclusion that it will be possible to reduce the supplementary grant of Tls. 800,000 to 300,000, by exerising rigid economy in all 'Uke' branches of expenditure to which it is devoted, while the application he has just made for permission to reduce the Chinese forces by twenty per cent. will avt free 'Ys, 100,000 " year, which will be sot aside to form a fund to moot extraordinary galls, LHe would, in conclusion call attention to the fact that the total revenue' of Kueichow from likin, land tax, and general duties dues not exceed some T's. 200,000, and the only subsidiary grants upon which she can rely are those from Szwchuen, which forwards a contribu. tion of Tls. 320,000, and sult taxes collected on behalf of the province to the amount of Tls. 180,000; say Tls. 900,000 a year. For the remainder of her expenditure Kueichow is dependent upon remittances from other provinces, many of which are greatly in arrear, and the memorialist would pray His Majesty to give orders that the Board ascertain the subsidy due from each province, and insist upon their forwarding these subsidies with reynlarity, for in the absence of the Tls. 600,000 they should supply each year Kuvichow cannot hold herown.—Referred tothe Board of Revenue, October 9th.—(1) Ho Tu-chang (fu F29) Reader of the Han-lin Yuan, and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.