November 2nd.—(1) A Deoree, directing ten sticks of Thibetan incense to be forwarded to Li Ho-nien, Director-General of the Yellow River, who will reverently bum them at the temple of the River God, in acknowledgment of supernatural aid vouchsafed on many occasions when danger was apprehended from the rising of the waters, (2) Cheng Yen-hsi, Literary Chancellor of Kansuh, reports that the Southern and Eastern parts of Shensi, through which ho lately passed, had experienced fine weather and seasonable rains throughout the summer: the people were contented and happy, looking forward with confidence to a rich harvest. Memorialist, how. ever, whilst passing through the Chieh Department on his way to the capital of Kansuh, felt a shock of earthquake, accompanied by a noise like thunder; the tiles of the house in which he was, were lently shaken, but the shock only lasted second or two. The district affected had, up to that time, been free from disasters caused by famine or flood, but memorialist has since heard that calamities of greater or less degree have overtaken the part which the earthquake occurred. personally experienced the shock, he it his duty to bring it to the Kmperor's notice.—Reseript: Noted.
November 3rd.—(1) A Decree, directing a further donation of Tis, 3,000 to be distributed among the coylies who bore the Imperial cetin from Peking to the Tung Li (2) Memorial from Hsiao Shao, bri ing to His Majesty's notice the pitiable condition of the slaves employed in certain coal mines situate in the District of Lei-yang, Hunan, A considerable portion of the memorial was embodied in the answering decree which appeared jin the Gazette of 23rd October. Some further particulars however are given in the memorial under notice. The slaves in question are obtained from two sources; they are either destitute vagrants driven by the prospect of starvation to sell themselves, in utter ignorance of the terrible fate which awaits them; or they are men who have been seduced into gambling dens, and, having become hopelessly involved there, have been forced to sell themselves to pay their losings, The price of the former class of slaves varies from one or two thousand cash to a few hundred cash aman, As the deep parts of the mines are constantly flueded, the slaves are divided into two gangs, one on duty bj day and the other at night, and the tas set them is to be continually standing in the water and baling it out. From this occupation they are vulgarly -known as "water frogs" (1), while their keepers hare earned the' well merited designation of ''living ki of hell"
Ab). from their ferocity and savage treatment of their prisoners. These latter, half naked and badly fed, when temper: arily released from work, huddle round a
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.