August 3rd.—(1) Memorial from the Court of Censors, requesting that the Censor of the Roadway Office in the metropolis may be relieved of his duties for having taken upon himself to draw up regulations for the taxation of brass-founders without reference to the Censors of the five divisions of the capital. His arbitrary conduct having been made the subject of a protest from the brass-founders, he came in person to the Censorate and explained that it was his intention to submit a draft code of regulations to his colleagues. His conduct in this matter having been found, on reference to the Board of Revenue, to be quite out of order—the Censors of Road. ways having no control over shops or trade—the Court have to pray that Kung Hsien-yi, the Censor in question, may be relieved of his duties in connection with the superintendence of streets and road. ways,—Granted by decree earlier issued.
Mu Tu-shan, Tartar General at Foochow, and Superintendent of Maritime Customs'at that port, reports the trans. mission of Tls. 60,600 to the Board of Revenue, being an instalment in repayment of advances to the army of the North-west made some years ago by that Department.
(3). Memorisl from Li Hung-chang, submitting a return of revenue collected at the Tientsin native Customs during the year ended June, 1881. The following are the sums at which the Tientsin native Customs are assessed Regular assessment Ts, 40,464
Porterage for Imperial copper Surplus assessment..."
20,000 Grant for expenses of Customs establishment 12,823 oral, Te The following collections have been made Actually collected 51,458.8 Rebatement of duties on articles carried by grain junks "sss... 30,005.7
Total, Tis...82,364.5 showing a surplus of Tls, 1,385. This is exclusive of Tls. 12,880 collected on account of the Ottice of the Imperial Household.
August 4th.—(1) A decree directing the Board of Rites to report on the best means of putting a stop to the various abuses connected with the examination of Manchus for the degree of Asin-tsai. This decree has been called forth by a memorial lately submitted by Shang Hsien, an Expositor of the Hanlin, representing that the irregularities in question have been disyracofully prevalent of late.
(2) Memorial from the Governor-General of the Hukuang provinees, reporting the jporsal of a band of robbers that had long, infested the difficult country constitution, the boundary between Hupeh, Hunan, ani Szechuen, They had maintained themselves on the densely wooded mountain spurs of that region since 1878, and had been a great source of terror to the noighbourhood, By means of a well concerted midnight attack, however, they were surrounded and attacked, and the principal leaders, after a desperate resistance, captured or put to the sword, Memotialist concludes by asking that the usual distinetions may be conferred on the officials who most contributed to the success achieved.—Granted by rescript.
The Lieutenant-General of the Manchu division of the Bordered White Banner reports that Hong Hui, an expect-writer in the Board of Works, has anticipated his arrest by absconding. [Ho is the official charged with having forged the signature of Ching Lien, President of the Board of Revenue, and as such figures prominently in the case of embezzlement of Imperial bounty money which is creating a good deal of stir in Peking at present.] It is now asked that the metropolitan police be at once called upon to effect his capture,—A decreas on this subject has already appeared, (4) The Military Governors of Moukden and Kirin report the result of commission appointed to mark out accurately the boundary line between the provinces of Feng-tien and Kirin, In 1878 and 1879 similar commissions were deputed for the delimitation of the boundary in question, but there was much discrepancy between the reports they submitted, and Chinese
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.