Deputy Supervisor of Instructiou, objecting to the system of so-called secret reoummendation of men of talent as called for in arecont Decree. While this Decree is an evidence of the unceasingness of the eudeayour of the Court to govern the Empire aright, and His Majesty is naturally dependent upon the recommendations of his servants for a knowledge of the oflicors be employs, the Memorialist objects to the importance attached to the secrecy of these recommendations. Were the plan as excellent in execution as it is admirable in principle there would be nothing to be said against it, but in practice it bound in the long run to lead to abu: instances of which may be seen in such cout cases as the recommendation of Hung Ju-kuei, and Wang Ting-an, Of course it is not contended that all recommendations by high officers must necessarily be interested, butitisneverthelessafact that most officials are anxious to avoid trouble, and they are not likely to denounce anyone whom they have previously recommended. The officials of the Central Government make it no concern of theirs, and onlookers do not take the matter up, with the result that the stringency of the laws against infringement of public duties lave to mak way for satisfaction of private obligato Pho secrecy observed is by the high officer towards his sovereign, not towards the person ho recommends, Their favours become a marketable commodity, and the Gistributor of them forms a clique of herents, from which source abuses readily spring. ' It is necessary therefore to guard against thes beforehand. Now the Me-recom openly mad id that the Grand Council should furnish a record of the antecoden of each individual so recommended wil statement of tie result of their examination into his capacity, to be submitted concurrently with the presentation of the individual to His Majesty. In the humble opinion of the Memorialist open recommend tions are much preferable to secret oner and he would beg that orders be given that the record of the doings of officers recom-monded, and the results of the scrutiny of their capacity which should be submitted to the Throne, may be made public by the Court, where the individual recommended should be presented in duo order and afterwards employed in whatever capacity may be deemed suitable. Should any individual so recommended be guilty of dishonesty or any similar offence, & penalty of re kind should be' inflicted on ing hi 8 the latter Of lute there lias been a tondenicy on art of officials of dus to avoid responsibility, and it is more than possible that the result of a severe measure like that proposed would be that no one would come forward with recommendations. his should be met by an authorisation to the Censorate class to denounce any official who fails to recommend anyone after a course of years. History furnishes instances of persons being recommended and afte ards denounced by those who recommended them. Such was the case with Chu Fu-tzit, Ssu-ma Kuang and others, and if meu of modern times will only imitate the perspicacity and impartiality of bygone worthies there need be nu fear of public posts nob being held by capable men. Now in selecting mon fur public posts there are these qualification to be considered, which the Memorialist will enumerate in the order of their proc dence: first, personal character, second, administrative capacity, and third, literary \equirements. By scrutiny of the manner which these qualities are displayed it will not take long to establish the genuineness or spuriousness of the qualifications of the individual.
uly Sth.—(1) A Decree acknowledging the receipt of a report from the Board of Civil Office on the subject of the penalties to which Chang Shu-sheng, late Gover-uor-General at Canton, and Ni Wéu-wei,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.