Ove readers will remember that by an Imperial Deoree the Memorial of Chang Yo, Governor of Kuangsi, on the cone dition of the Yellow River, and containing the plans of the works Lo proposes should be undertaken, was referred to the Board of Works. A recent namber of the Peking Gazette contains a further Memorial from Chang Yao in whioh he submits his plans to the Emperor, and this Memorial is followed by another giving his final oonclasions on the subject, The first Memorial reports the result of the survey of the river which Chang Yao was ordered to make, He followed the northern bank of the T'u-bai river to Liu Chang, or as it is sometimes culled Lin Chang Kou, where he found that the action of the water bad cut away the banke during the last three or four years, till the channel is from 500 to 600 feet wide, with a varying depth of from 20 to 40 feet. From Liu Chung to the mouth of the river is some 148 Li, and for about half that distance the river widens and the channel gets deeper, and the country in the ty of the mouth is uninhabited. The boatmen at Chen Obia, 74 Ni from the mouth unanimously assured the Governor that sea going june of a small type used to come up to that place, and that of late large jauks had been able to reach it, He tien retraced his steps as far a point which forms the central section of the 'I"a-hai, and into which the overflow from the breach that Ci occur year after year in the bank of the Yellow River empties itself. He fraud that the area of the T'u-bai was too narrow to contain the water; astrous overflows consequently ocourred eastward; and apparently as a result of this, half the population has migrated. Ho followed the Northern bank of the Ch'i River as far as Chang Chitin Chien, and then westwards and found an old embankment exi from a point in the Shou Chang trict to Hoo Hsien in Honan, 260 Ji. Since the Yellow River changed its course there has been pressure on this embankment, but it has never been ied' The embankments from rd, in Chibli and there is no danger the hilly country to the southward down to Wei Chia Lin. A ye embankment. exists from Kua Chien T'ai all the way to the Chi River, the most dangerous points along the tine of which are Huang Chia Fu and Ton Fa Wo. From Shaugho Hsien dow: wards as far us Lo-chin Hien the channel is narrow and the bed is raised, the water from the Yellow River flo ing on both sides the " People's Eu bankment." The plan suggested is to protect the further embankment, on the uthern side, and to add a " People's Embankment on the northern bank, and to supplement an existing embank. mout on the same side by one on the southern. After much correspondence with the Governor of the province, the Memorialist they agreed Ubnt the most important menstre of the moment is to distribute the volume of water, theory which bad alrendy been enn ointed by influential porsonnges at the Capital. This it is proposed to do by connecting the Yellow and the T'u hui rivers, at a place below the El er, by building embankments 10 Zi in length, and then forming a connection between the two rivere—Yellow and Oh P—; to clear the cliunnel of connect tion between the 'I'a-hai and Chi? f 8 length of 80 Ni, and to dredge the elf a distance of some 280 Ni, toa auiform depth of 15 feet with a width of 240 feet; and twelve sluices will have to be constructed. As regards lending the Yellow River back to its original
second Memorial, t bed Governor Yang Chino eave, ina the whole line of country Haien in Honan to Eh' gsu, over 900 Li, besides sur-1 other directions extending over some 300 li, he has come to the conclusion that while Shaulung would be relieved of its troubles were the Yellow old cours there are insuperable difficulties in the the expense which ions of tacle; IL. ion of the farmers on the old bed; III. the serious consequences which might result from the influx of the Yellow River into the Hungtso Lake, whioh at present feeds the Grand But, while re; that the best prevention of disaster is to be found in the course he proposed in the former Memori quoted from abore, he thinks that the old ch ariel may possibly be used to draw off some of the water in the present channel.
An Imporinl Deoreo states that Chang Yao's plans, as detailed in Memorial, for embanking, raising banke and deepening channels, after being considered by the Board of Works have been reported to afford, under Present circumstances, a proper escape for the water; and Governor Chang Yao is commanded, in concert with Ch'éu Shi Chieh, to select proper officers who will frame estimates, after which they I solicit a grant of funds and proceed 3 with the work; and a direction is for the employment of dredgers, for keeping the channel in the canal of derivation constantly open, Chang Yao is enjoined to go about the work committed to him vigorously, not to attempt to shift the responsibility for to other shoulders, not to care for unpopularity incurred in the discharge of his duty, and to study economy. Regarding what be snys of the possibility of leading a large part of the water now flowing in the present oot of the Yellow River back into the old bed, he is commanded to con-sale with H.E, Tetug Kuo-chuan, the Director General of the Yellow River, and four other high Provinei reporting the result of thei tions to the Throne, We have seen 80 als on the state of the River, and the necessity of g ite bunks 60 as to rostra flood and free sea, that we are not be very enngnime of wuvh resulting from the above Decree, But there is an air of business about the recent deliberations on the subject, which in. ducvs hope that the operations which have been sanctioned will be undertaken, Should this be the onse, and they uro successful, an immense benedt will have been bestowed on Chinn, to accomplishment of which we have no doable foreign capital would be readily obtainable, PROSPECTS AT THE GENERAL ELECLION, We are now ina position to form an estimate of the way in whioh position! torves in England will rengo themselves the General Election, Between the introduction of Mr. Gladstone's Irish measures and the departure of the last mail from home, nut only bad Liberal leaders spoken, but the caucuses and aussi us, in which #o many members live und move and have tbeic political being, had delivered their jud ment on the bills, The Tories, men and meetings, are dead aguinst Homo Rale, How much of partignn spirit, and how much of pntriotiem enters into their opposition we need not now enquire. It ig enough for the present thattheie whole strength willie put forth to defeat the candidates who pledge themselves to vote for the Irish me sures of the government, In this they will have the support of an unknown number of moderate Liberals, What they gain from these votes will be lost to them in the Irish city and borough voters who supported their candidates in November, The one will about equal the other. Probably, also, the Tories may re-gain some of the countries which they lost last year. 'The grent Whig landlords will no doubt support Tory candidates in those constituencies where they cannot return a candidate of their own. But in others they will stipulate that, as a return' for this, the Liberal county members who have voted against the Second Reading of the Howe Rule bill shall retain their Tua ease, for inetanoe, ilike?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.