May 12th.—Tho Governor of Feng-t4 roporta the receipt, through the Taotai the Magistrate of Ch'éug-t8 Hsien, of an
expectant Protect of Honan, to the followication from Liu Kuang-vii, an ox-ing effect "The man represents that he was formerly employed in the province of Feng-t the collection added to the d conclusion of of thanks from the amounting to 14,000 a this he was denounce called upon to money within a gi banished to th p the September, and on the 13th of November started from Kirin for the post roads. He caught cold on the way ai Moukden on the 1st of November he applied for congo to recruit his health, his Application being sent to the Board.
goes on to state that although better he is still far from having regained his normal condition of health, and it will be a matter of extreme dif tions to the necessities of the State, there is a clause referring to the commutation of the penalty of servitude on the post roads, and the applicant now proposes to pay the double redemption foo demanded from those who have not actually arrived on the station. He begs that he may be informed what is the sum required, and prays that the possible application of the Act of Grace of 1884 in mitigation of his sentence may Jeration by the Board.
The Memorialist requests that the Board may be instructed to consider this application and, in the event of its being sanctioned, to the sum the man should be called upon to pay.—Referred to the Board of May 13th.—A sub-Memorial from Li Yung-ch'iug, Acting Governor of Kuo chow.
The Memorialist would further report that the provincial committee charged with the control of the office of Reorganization having deputed one T'aug Shu-tung, an expectant auh-prefect, to erect an establishment for the manufacture of the powder required for the use of the Green Standard and field forces of the province of Kueichow, this officer called upon Sergeant Chou Kuang-jung to erect this factory upon a plot of waste land outside the outer southern gate of the provincial capital, the powder being supplied to the troops as it was turned out.
At about 1 p.m. on the 9th of December 1884 the factory suddenly took fire, and the Memorialist upon hearing the alarm at once hurried to the spot with the military and civil officers of his staff in the hope of being able to extinguish the flames, but he found on arrival that the factory had destroyed by an explosion.
ing was situated at a couriderable distance from any private houses the fire did not spread nor were any persons injured who were unconnected with the factory.. Unfortunately, however, the ox plosion was attended with the most diplo able loss of life, Sergeant Chou Kuang-jung, together with two overseers and work~ men of all grades to the number of nineteen, being blown completely to pieces. Some twenty odd workmen also sustained injuries which admit of being cured by medical treatment. organisation Committee were at once directed certain the number of the sufferers grant compensation to. them to the extent that they deemed necessary, They were further instructed to make strict and soarching enquiry into the origin of the fire and to furnish the Memori insist with an accurate report for information and action thereon, The Committee have now ascertained that the fire was caused by a carpenter a named Heir Lao-shun who was mending the handle of a pestle, and in doing so allowed the head of the hatchet ho was using to fly off, which struck a spark from stone as it fell to the ground, thereby igniting some powder which was drying in the sum, and ea causing an explosion.
The Committee further explained that Tang Shu-tung was in the neighbourhood of Ting Kuang at the time buying aaltpetro ud sulphur, and only returned to the provincial capital on the day the accident occurred, when it so happened that lo went to he Yamen of the Judicial Commissioner on official business and was not, therefore, at the factory at all. it, the Committee added, happened so suddenly that it was impossible to prevent it, and they 'a hope that the cou-upon Superintendent might be dis-lotion of a penalty
pensed with.
In submitting this proposal for His Ma-'s approval the Memorialiat adds that of powder were reported to be destroyed in the explosion, and that ho has directed that the actual amount be ascertained and that T'ang Shu-tang be called upon to make it good.
The Grand Council had the honour to receive the following Imperial Decrov in reply to the foregoing; "Lot the Memorialist proceed as proposed, and let the Buard concerned take fay 14th.—A Memori from the Governor of the New Dominion in which he demonstrates the imp: ity of complying strictly with regulation, as the Board demand, in the expenditure incurred in the ordering of a postal system in the region.
As earlier reported by the Memorialist, one of the changes which he thought it necessary to make on the constitution of the Nan Lu, or Kashgatia, into a civil jurisdiction with prefectures and districts, was to organise a Government postal courier system, and also to exchange the military postal service to Palikun and Hami for a civil on The matier having been referred to the Board, they approved of the number of ions, 150 in all, which he proposed to establish, horsed by astrid of 1,716 animals, as these were within the legally allotted number, but they limited his grants to the following items
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.